Rise of the Rider
by AFCJ
Summary: Dragon Training has been postponed until Stoick's return from Helheim's Gate. During his father's month-long voyage, Hiccup forges a friendship with a creature he was raised to despise. Now, he must convince the other teenagers that dragons aren't by their nature ferocious, and that there's a much larger problem that can only be stopped with cooperation between mortal enemies.
1. Another Morning in the Cove

**A:N** _Welcome! This is my first story, a retelling of the beautiful film _How to Train Your Dragon._ I hope you enjoy my take on it._

_A message to established readers: If these early chapters seem a bit different, it's because I fixed a slew of grammatical and structural errors. I didn't change any plot points, though, so don't worry about that._

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My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, and this is my journal. I know, it seems strange for a 'slash first, ask questions never' Viking to write his thoughts out and carry them with him, but I'm no ordinary Viking. In fact, other than blood I'm not really a Viking at all. I can't lift a hammer, I can't swing an axe, and the first time I ever tried to actually do something as the apprentice of Gobber the Belch, our local Blacksmith, I managed to cut off his right foot. Lucky for me, a dragon had already done that to him years prior, so he just attached a spare peg and smacked me upside the head.

No, I'm not a Viking. So I don't feel weird keeping a journal. To be honest I'm surprised I didn't do this earlier, but I suppose it has to do with my fear of being considered weird. I mean, I am weird. Really weird. Anyone will tell you that. But I've embraced it a little. Enough to carry this book around with me, at least. Which is a good thing, too, because other than loving to draw, and being able to do it anywhere, I have far too many ideas floating around in my head to keep track of them all. So here I am, writing them down as I walk through the forests of Berk. My house may be empty, what with my father gone on yet another expedition to find the dragon's nest and all, but I prefer being outside. When I'm at home, people tend to know. When I'm lost in the forest they secretly hope I don't come back out, but at least they leave me be.

Speaking of Dragon expeditions, this one was supposed to be a big one. The last major attempt during Berk's 'warm' season to find their nest and take it so we could finally be rid of them. Gobber, my father's closest friend and confidant, somehow managed to convince him to change the huge fleet of warships to one single scouting ship. It probably had something to do with how many boats we've lost as well as many provisions we still have, despite the raids. Really, though, I think Gobber's just sick of building new boats.

It's been quite a long time since we've seen such a nice day on Berk. the skies are cloudless and there's actually a nice breeze blowing over the island. It's the end of spring, and even though it's only a few degrees above freezing it's still a lovely day for anyone used to living in an arctic wasteland. The dawn air is clear and crisp and even though there's always the chance for the weather to turn horrible in a moment, I have a feeling today is going to be a pretty decent day. After a changing of clothes and grabbing a basket of fish, I made my way down to my own private hiding spot from the village: Toothless Cove.

I can't find it on any maps of the island, and no one ever bothers going to the part of the forest it resides in. Of course, I'm grateful for that; it's hard not to be grateful for it when its your only solace from glares, taunts and sometimes(all the time when Snotlout is involved) physical violence. I may be the Chief's son, but that doesn't stop me from being the butt of everyone's jokes or being beaten on for being little. 'It'll toughen the little runt up' they say. It's not like it could be possibly causing any deep-rooted psychological problems that I cover up with sarcasm and dry wit. No, that couldn't possibly be a side effect _at all._

Passing through trees, I keep checking to make sure I'm alone. I've wandered these woods for years, so finding multiple routes to my destination isn't a difficult task. It's also nice to know I can shake off pretty much anyone who'd bother following me. Not that anyone ever would, but still, the precaution is understandable, considering what I'm hiding. I'd really hate to see how that one would turn out if anyone found out about him.

Our island, like many in the area, have pest problems. Very big, angry, dragon-sized pest problems. Being who we are, that is to say Vikings, we opted to declare war on the beasts rather than move somewhere a little less inhospitable. I'd always questioned this stubbornness as a child, and it was always met with the same response: 'We're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard.' We were too stubborn to move, and the dragons obviously weren't going anywhere, so we fought with them over our resources. Despite them stealing from us, I no longer wanted to fight them(not that I ever could to begin with), but everyone else in my village still does. I knew I had to figure out how to end the fighting and somehow show my village that there was a better way for us to rid ourselves of the dragons beyond continuing a three-hundred year war. The problem I knew I'd have with that idea was that it meant I'd be coming up with a plan of some sort, and considering my luck it'd probably backfire. After all, my official title in the village isn't 'Hiccup the Useless' for nothing.

As for why I don't want to fight dragons? Simple, really: my only real friend in the 15 years I've spent on this planet and only resident of Toothless Cove doesn't like to fight dragons, either. He's convinced me they're not as evil and heartless as we think they are, but no one else on this island would share our viewpoint, so I've been keeping his existence a secret. I also made sure to enter the Cove from different ends of the forest from day to day, trying my best to avoid having anyone find out. Sometimes I had to hide, and today was no different. Walking and writing at the same time may dull one's senses, but the telltale 'thunk' of an axe hitting a tree told me to keep out of sight. This was something I'd always been pretty good at, considering I'd been doing it for as long as I could remember. Closing my journal and tucking it away inside my bearskin vest, I slowly looked around the tree I'd been hiding behind. Training with her axe off in the distance, not one hundred feet from my position, is Astrid.

Astrid. Beautiful, wonderful Astrid.

I saw her rip her axe from a large oak tree and hurl it in a random direction away from me. I knew she didn't like me, since pretty much everyone in the village didn't. But I didn't have any intention of saying hello, or even making my presence known. I just stood behind that old tree, looking at her intensely. Her face was dripping with sweat, her brow furrowed in both frustration and concentration. It's a look I'd seen on her a lot, but I knew better than to ignore a mask when I saw one. I wear one in Berk every day, made of a dry sarcasm. It covers up how I really feel about being an outcast in my own tribe.

I sat there, wondering what she was hiding. I wondered why she'd hide it. And the whole time I was there, I couldn't deny a tug in my heart to go over to her and ask her if she was alright. But I knew that'd just end in her hitting me with something and storming off before I got a chance to really say anything. Call me a fool, but even though she's hated me since we were children, I like seeing her happy, which is pretty rare these days. All she ever does now is ready herself for Dragon Training.

Originally, my father, Stoick the Vast, Chief of our tribe, had planned on having new recruits trained in the Dragon Kill Ring while some of his best men went with him to Helheim's Gate, the barrier of mist that hides Dragon Island. Despite knowing that most of these convoys never come back ('It's an occupational hazard' echoing through my mind) he was still determined to find the nest. Again, Gobber managed to convince him to take just a small scouting boat. He also managed to convince my father to push Dragon Training back until after he'd returned, because I'd be taking classes this year and Dad wanted to keep an eye on me. Wonderful.

Pushing my thoughts from my head, I eventually pried my wanting eyes away from the only person in this world who can make me genuinely smile and continued to my destination. Within a few minutes I'd reached the bottom of Toothless Cove with my fish basket slung over my shoulder. I opened and upended it, revealing its slimy, fishy contents. I made to call for my friend when I was lightly pounced to the ground from behind. A happy purr and the sight of big, scaly legs pinning me down told me I didn't need to bother with trying to look for him. But then again, his hearing and sense of smell are pristine, so I'd had a feeling he knew I was coming. After all, he's dragon; the same dragon I shot down during the last raid we had; the same dragon I could've killed, but didn't; the same dragon that could have killed ME, but didn't; and the same dragon who, against all of his conventional wisdom, let a Viking get close enough to him to call him a friend. When our strange 'relationship' started, we were distant and wary. He'd watch me from afar, but when I'd try to get closer to him I'd fail miserably. We finally broke through our own defenses, though, and managed to forge a small bond. Over the last month that bond has grown into a inescapable chain that I would do anything to keep from breaking.

It's a good thing no one is ever going to bother reading this journal but me. Even Snotlout would find it too boring to make fun of. Though, I've never been sure he can read well, or at all. Even so, if someone who can read were to find this, I wouldn't just be exiled. I'd probably be forced to watch my best friend get murdered in front of my entire village, and then they'd probably kill me afterwards. But if lost Toothless, I really don't think I'd care. Ironically, in this one instance its a good thing no one notices me; it keeps my only friend safe.

"Hey, good morning there, bud," I said, my face turned down to the ground. "I Hope you slept well. If you haven't noticed," I gestured forward with my left hand, the only limb that hasn't been pinned to the ground, "I only left to bring you breakfast. And I'd really appreciate it if you'd get off of me before you start eating it because I can't feel my legs."

Toothless gave me a dragon laugh, hovering off of me gracefully, allowing me to stand back up and admire the beautiful creature. Pulling my journal back out and jotting down some things about Astrid from earlier (like how her hair would glow in the morning sunlight, or those beautiful bangs that covered her left eye, or her... I'll just stop there. I'm not writing... any more of 'that' down). I pushed it from my head and started making more notes on Toothless. A graceful muscular body, extremely powerful wings, fire proof black scales (Maybe I'll make a tunic out of the scales he sheds some day. Might not be a bad idea) and extremely emotive, yellow-green, catlike eyes. He's also the size of a small boat and can carry a pretty decent payload when he flies, which obviously would include me. I felt a pang of guilt surge through me as I glanced down his long, elegant tail. It's missing one of its tailfins, meaning he has no chance of flying without help. That happens to be my fault and my fault alone.

My father's had me in the forge since I can remember, trying to keep me out of harm's way. He also said it would keep me from causing trouble and give me something to do for the village that's actually useful, since someone as scrawny and useless as I am is never going to kill a dragon by himself. But that was the past, and the contraptions I used to build to kill dragons no longer exist. I scrapped them all in a saddened rage when I realized I'd used one of them to badly injure my only friend. Albeit I would have no friends if I hadn't done what I did, but that still hadn't excused what I did to him. I'm just glad he doesn't hold it against me. I sighed and put my journal away again, making my way over to the dragon. I placed my hand on his side and began rubbing it lightly. Toothless crooned at this, pushing his body into my hand without even thinking about it.

"You know, Toothless, I may never completely forgive myself for hurting you, but at the very least I can help you fly again. I just feel guilty, is all. But you know that. I had to hurt you to gain your friendship, but it still doesn't feel right." the Night Fury looked from the fish and then to me, and then turned completely to look at me. Purring softly, he butted his nose against my stomach and began to rub it gently. Through his purrs I could almost hear the words 'you know I forgive you.'

"Thanks, Toothless." I dusted myself off, looking at the 'ferocious' Night Fury eyeballing the cache of fish I'd brought him. He eyed it as though it was the most precious gift he'd ever received. After an entire five minutes of gorging himself on a random assortment of fish, Toothless belched appreciatively. Blowing the smell of saltwater and slime out of my face, I lied down with my head against his large, scaly side. He started a small fire near us and pushed a fish to me he hadn't eaten. I was about to insist I wasn't hungry, but Toothless, being the dragon he is, saw through my lie pretty easily. He looked at the fish and made a slight gurgling sound, and before I knew it I had the thing skewered and roasting over our little fire pit. He knows I don't really care about eating all that much, but he tends to mother me. He's such an emotive creature; every day something else about him fascinates me.

What fascinates me most is that it seems all dragons can be this way. They're very smart, caring and loyal creatures. The Terrible Terrors, tiny dragons that come in a rainbow of colors and act very much like cats (if cats could fly and breathe fire) like to act tough, but they also love nuzzling, cuddling and a good scratch behind the ear. But then again, so does Toothless, so it could very well be a dragon thing. Now, Terrors aren't terribly smart; arguably the slowest, mentally, of all of the dragons. But they're still smart enough to communicate with humans. These creatures never cease to fascinate me.

We sat there for a while, not really doing much. I'd already told him about the raid, the night I shot him down, and how I'm treated in the village because of my attempts to help. How I used the forge late at night to build the prosthetic tailfin and riding tack we use to cleave through the skies; Telling Gobber I was just 'melting down my past mistakes' when he asked me why the forge was still so hot in the mornings afterward. I've even mentioned the group of kids I used to call friends. In truth, though, ever since my mother died when I was eight, I haven't had any friends at all. Except for Toothless, of course. I turned my head to his, and when I did I noticed a look in his eyes. I'm beginning to think he can sense my emotions, because he looks as sad as I feel.

"Sometimes... Sometimes I wonder exactly when it happened. When I and the rest of the kids my age were all toddlers, we were all really friendly with one another. I don't remember much from those days, but a few things do stick out in my head: learning to read the Dragon Manual with Fishlegs, successfully keeping the twins from ripping each other apart even when their own parents couldn't, actually getting along with my older cousin Snotlout, and of course, spending time with Astrid."

I sighed and took a bite of my fish. As much as I try to fight it, thinking about Astrid just made me hurt. I can't exactly tell where, it just hurt somewhere in my chest. Everywhere, actually. It's a dull, stabbing ache that refuses to go away for most any reason. I can usually only get it to go away with the help of Toothless, who's eyeing me pensively, drawn into the story I'd been telling him.

"Her mother and mine were both Shieldmaidens. They also happened to be childhood friends, which ultimately meant that no matter what kind of kids they'd have, the two would be very close. Sometimes they even joked about having them married if the two were boy and girl, a point my mom liked to bring up around me whenever she noticed I wasn't feeling very happy. Looking back, the reason she always told me that was because she knew how I felt about Astrid before I did." Toothless continued to stare at me, a small smile curling at the edges of his mouth. Bittersweet, almost.

"Yeah. Even back then I was in love with her. I never told anyone, though. I figured it'd ruin my relationship with her. Or at least, make her think I was even weirder than she already knew I was. So I kept it to myself and, though much of my preteen years, spent a lot of time with her as well as the other kids in my village. They picked on me a lot, but it was never anything too severe. I was the scrawny punching bag, but they still invited me to do things with them. But mostly I just tried to play with Astrid. She didn't mind, since I could make her laugh. She liked my stories and drawings, too." I nonchalantly looked into the sky as I continued. "We were young when I had my first real memory of her. Five or six, maybe less. She'd just laughed really hard at something I'd said, and that's when I realized how much I cared about her. Back then, the feelings didn't bother me, since we were so close. Very close, from what I can remember. And to me, memories mean a lot." The nostalgic grin that had etched its way onto my face quickly vanished, and so did the smile on Toothless' lips.

"Because sometimes that's all you have left of a person." I threw the remainder of the fish into the fire, having eaten my fill.

"When I was eight, my mother was killed during a raid. I remember her being a tough woman. I also remember hearing it took four dragons at once to finally take her down. I don't really remember much from that night, other than passing out from shock while I was sharpening a sword in Gobber's forge. That might've been when I got this scar on my chin, though I can't recall." I scratched the area in question. "After that, everything went downhill." I sighed and Toothless crooned at me. "It's okay, bud. Really. I may be an outcast hiding in plain sight without a single friend in the entire village, but I have you. And that's all that matters to me now. Even though I can't ignore the past, and how much it hurts knowing that my own flesh and blood are almost disgusted with my existence, and yet, a dragon, a creature I was always told felt nothing but blind rage, can show me more love and compassion than I've been given since I lost my mother." Toothless' tail wrapped around me as he blasted the fire pit again, giving us some more warmth. It was only then I realized I was shivering. Or was it shaking? I couldn't tell. Then I noticed a wet spot on my journal, even though it wasn't raining.

With another sigh, I'd realized I was crying again. I hadn't even noticed... Sometimes, it just happens. But with Toothless around, its been happening less and less. That emotional hole in my heart is vanishing. And it's all thanks to this magnificent creature who cares for me more than my own tribe. More than Astrid ever could. Probably even more than my father, not that it would surprise me. I was always a disappointment with him.

"It all really did start after my mother died. Everyone was in shock, but instead of grieving it seemed to have thrown my peers' motivations into overdrive. Fishlegs learned everything to know about killing dragons and started learning how to use a hammer. Snotout started training with his dad every day. Astrid, well, she'd always practiced with her axe, but the death of her surrogate aunt seemed to enrage her. The twins went from roughhousing to learning how to fight. I was the only one who lagged behind, and it wasn't just because of my mother's death. I was just too weak to begin with, and too smart for my own good." Toothless grunted and smacked me with one of his earflaps. He never did like hearing me talk down about myself. "Sorry, bud. But in a way it's true. Most of my contraptions backfired and wound up hurting someone or damaging buildings. No one really gave me a hard time about it the first time. After that, though, I was condemned from building anything else. Of course, that didn't exactly stop me, because no one ever really bothered to watch what I was doing, so they never found out." I sighed again, my thoughts wandering, as they always did, to Astrid.

"The night mom died Astrid was the first person to find me. Gobber had run out when he'd heard my father screaming bloody rage, knowing immediately something terrible had happened. Apparently he didn't even notice me pass out when I realized why my father was screaming. I came to with Astrid leaning over me, shaking me awake. She consoled me, of course. They all did. Even Ruffnut and Tuffnut tried to help me that night, even though all they'd ever done when we were kids was shove me around. That's the only nice thing they've actually ever done for me. Them or Snotlout. In fact, my mother dying was the last time anyone my age would care about my feelings, except Astrid. But she slowly drifted away when she realized I was weak. She always had a habit of distancing herself from anything that could make her look imperfect. And that included me." I sat in silence for a few moments as I regrouped my thoughts. "She told me... She told me a few days ago, that she hated me. Absolutely and unconditionally despised me. I can't even begin to tell you what that did to me. I'm just lucky that the two of us became friends so quickly, because I was completely dead on the inside after she told me that." I scratched Toothless' head and he nuzzled me some more.

"What made it so much worse is that the day she told me that was on the anniversary of my mother's passing into Valhalla. I didn't bother mentioning it to her; If the girl I remembered her being is still in there somewhere, I didn't want to make her feel sad." Toothless glared at me, and I knew why. I was always too nice; always cared more about the feelings of others rather than my own.

"I know, I know. I really should stop moping around. I can fly now, thanks to you. And that makes me feel happier than I've ever felt in my life. Speaking of which, Toothless, do you want to get into the air? It's a beautiful day and I figured we could try freefalling again after checking to see if my dad's Scout boat is on its way back from Helheim's Gate." I stood up and stretched, walking over to the little cave I had turned into a small den. Pulling out the necessary equipment, I made my way back to Toothless.

"You know, I'm really going to miss sleeping out here with you at night, bud. It's much more comforting than my own house, but I know how my father gets when I'm out past sundown. But since he hasn't been here and no one really ever checks on me it hasn't been much of an issue," I said, buckling the last piece of the riding tack into place, "not like anyone cares."

"_Then you shouldn't care, either_." I whipped around when I heard that. I could have sworn I'd heard a voice not unlike my father's, booming and strong, but with a certain tenderness to it. Toothless and I were still the only ones in the cove.

"Well... Lets just go, Toothless. I think I'm losing my mind. Hearing voices. I did have some trouble sleeping last night... Maybe I'm hallucinating a little. A nice, long flight should take my mind off of things." Toothless smiled at me and beckoned to the skies. With a nod, I hopped into the saddle and we were off like lightning.

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**A/N:** _Thanks to user Ferdoos for grammatical suggestions._


	2. Lightning and Death, Leather and Steel

You would think that flying thousands of feet in the air on the back of the world's fastest dragon would make writing in a journal nearly impossible, and you'd be right. Luckily for me, I'm resourceful, so during one of my secret nightly visits to the smithy, I attached a series of clips to hold my journal in place. I also had my charcoal pencil connected to the spine of the book with a bit of twine. Even so, I really only write when we're cruising along at a mild speed, which happened to be something Toothless loved to do. It was also what we were doing after taking off giving med time to jot down some more notes. I learned the hard way to not even bother trying to write when we're moving at higher speeds. The last thing I'd want is another 'cheat sheet' incident, though I'm confident now I could easily catch the journal before it got anywhere near the ground. Not to mention we'd been doing freefalls for weeks, so if it ever accidentally happened again, we could just go with it. Taking in a deep breath of crisp air, I stretched up and looked at the sky, then back down at the rocky shores of Berk.

When I'm down on the ground, I'm clumsy, I stumble a lot, and I tend to drop things. Flying is helping my balance on the ground, I've noticed, but up here with Toothless, we rule the skies. Closing my journal and securing it in a special harness I made for it(don't want it falling out of my belt when I'm doing a barrel roll or a backflip) I clicked my left stirrup into place, totally in sync with Toothless' other tailfin. Blasting straight upwards, we blew past the tip of the mountain of Berk and kept going until the entire island was just a small spot in a truly massive ocean of water. Until I'd met Toothless, I had absolutely no idea just how big the world really is, and just how small I am. How small everyone is, actually, Viking or not. My clan acts as though they're invincible, capable of leveling forests, crushing mountains, taming seas(Another statement my father is famous for). And yet, if we're so capable of taming the seas, I wonder why no one ever considered trying to tame a dragon until I came along? Then again, I wouldn't exactly say I 'tamed' Toothless. We bonded and continue to learn more and more about one another. If I'm taming him, then he's taming me just as well. It still makes me wonder, though, why no one had ever considered it. Then again, this is Berk, and Vikings tend not to think about anything other than fighting, and from time to time, food.

Looking far to the west, I could just barely see the mists that shrouded the Dragon's Nest. Toothless doesn't like getting anywhere near the place, and to be honest, I can't really blame him. It sounds like there's a choir of banshees desperately screaming and wailing whenever we get anywhere near the Gate. It's a haunting melody that almost sounds both terrified and sorrowful, yet at the same time it just sounds like... Noise. It's hard to describe. It's like I'm hearing something through the wailing, but I can't figure out what it is. That's not the only thing, though. There's also something else on their island. Something making a deep, rumbling growl. It's utterly terrifying to me for some reason, because just like the wailing banshees leaking through the warbling noise, there's something else in that deep rumbling, and it sounds like it's literally pure evil. I wondered how my father and his men could even stand it, being so close to the source. The sound is so off-putting that, other than my life being in jeopardy, it seems to be the only thing Toothless is truly afraid of. I'm not sure why, but I have a feeling it's the key to all of our problems. Even with that knowledge, though, I know we're not ready to face whatever's hiding in the mist. I get the feeling everyone in Berk isn't ready for what's waiting for us there.

I had Toothless fly as close to the mists as either of us could handle and looked for a ship. We'd do this at least once a day, looking for my father's scouting ship. The island is about a day and a half away when you're sailing there, but on Toothless, we're there in only a few minutes. It's to be expected when, again, you're flying on the back of the world's fastest dragon. I've been doing this mainly to know how much time I have left to spend with my best friend before I'm forced to live back in Berk, in my home. I'm also doing it because once his ship comes out of the fog, it means I'm only two days away from my first session of dragon training. I can't say I'm all too excited about learning how to kill dragons; It all just seems so wrong to me now. They don't deserve to be treated the way we treat them, but they shouldn't be attacking us, either. And the fact that they steal so much food when the dragons we keep in the kill ring only tend to eat a bucket or two of fish a day doesn't add up, either. I brought this up to Toothless once, and he immediately looked like someone had just stabbed me in front of him, vigorously shaking his head back and forth, letting me know that he didn't want me thinking about it. I don't know why I knew he didn't want me thinking about that discrepancy; I just did. Like I'd noted in my journal before, its almost as though I can understand him. And it just keeps getting clearer as time goes on. I guess its best not to think about it.

"Well, Toothless, do you see them?" I shouted over the winds whipping past my face. Toothless grunted, and I clearly understood his meaning: no. I grinned a little, knowing I'd have some extra time to spend with Toothless. I'm clinging to these moments, these memories, because I feel that even with my dad in the ring with me, I'm still going to die somehow. I'd really hope not, if only because Toothless would be flightless and alone, and eventually die himself.

We flew back toward Berk, the sun high in the sky. Drifting lightly through a few small clouds that had appeared, I pulled my journal back out and jotted down more of my thoughts of the day, next to a few doodles I'd made of Astrid and I riding Toothless. I flipped to a new page and immediately began drawing Berk, cast in an afternoon glow. Words cannot describe the utter beauty of my hometown from above, so I'd taken to drawing it. I've done this at least a dozen times, all at different times of the day, and even a few at night. It's a shame my landscape drawing capabilities aren't better, because the night view is simply awe-inspiring, especially when you're surfing along clouds with the Northern Lights shining brightly above you.

I knew it was close to lunch, meaning I would be expected to be at the great hall to eat with my other classmates. Dragon Training isn't just meant to forge the iron will and capacity to ruthlessly murder dragons' its also meant to build a bond with your fellow warriors. Of course, that doesn't exactly happen for me, and Gobber, acting as our teacher, doesn't bother to try and force me to mingle with them. I guess he realizes its just like mixing oil and water. We aren't going to bond; I'm too different, and they all hate me. Not that I mind, though. Ever since I met Toothless, I've been becoming less and less interested in finding my place in Berk. I'm a great blacksmith, especially for my age, and I do enjoy the trade. But my real passion, what I really love to do, is fly. And it'd be great if I could find a place where they needed a dragon trainer, because I could do it, and better than anyone. I get along with these creatures more than I do my fellow man, and if not for Gobber, my Father and Astrid, I probably would've stolen a bunch of supplies and left the island weeks ago. There's really nothing for me here. Just those three.

But sometimes, I wonder if they're even worth it. Toothless is really my only anchor; the only thing keeping me sane. The rest of them are just... There. Held to me by old feelings and a handful of decent memories. I don't have a functioning relationship with my father, Astrid... Hates me, and Gobber is more like a teacher than a friend.

Regardless, I know I have to head back. The last time I ditched lunch with the group, Gobber yelled at me and made me clean the forge, which stole an entire half a day of flying from me. So I may be late, but I'll always show up, so I'm not taken from my other half for any longer than I have to.

A smile coming to my face, I began rubbing Toothless' head, having him croon again in reaction. He could tell exactly what I wanted, without me even saying it. In one swift motion we snapped immediately into a backflip, and at the pinnacle of our stunt, I pulled off the straps to my harness and let go of the saddle's handles. Flying at high speeds is amazing, but freefalling with a dragon staring at you with a gummy smile on his face is something else entirely. And honestly, I think Toothless enjoys these stunts more than I do, just because of how happy they make me. We fell for a few more minutes, and then, like two parts of a single entity, we came back together and pulled out of the dive directly over Berk. I try to avoid racing past my village at high speeds when someone might see us, but Toothless is so fast that its not like they'd ever guess the black blur screeching just over their heads would be carrying a person, let alone me. Not to mention its always satisfying to come back into town to see the bewildered looks the villagers give each other, wondering why a **Night **Fury is out during the day. But the best part of doing it is, of course, Snotlout's terrified face, constantly scanning the skies, asking with a whimper if 'that damn black thing is gone yet.'

But I'm not coming back just yet. My quick eyes noticed Gobber still in his forge, so instead of heading back to the Cove, Toothless and I directed ourselves to the same rocky formations that nearly killed both of us when I was still using my cheat sheet. Except now we buzz through those rocks so naturally and so fast that I don't really have to try to react to them. Its just instinct at this point; nothing but muscle memory. Sliding left and right, though boulders and pillars, barreling through a flock of seagulls, the sea spitting lightly in my face, it all feels just like home to me. Like it's a natural thing. Like I should've been born a dragon instead of a human. Coming out the other side towards the ocean again, I looked down at Toothless.

"That was great, but we've gotta head back to the cove now, bud. No more time for stunts and high-flying drawing sessions for now; I have a lunch to get to." He nodded in understanding, pulling us into a U-turn back to the rocks we just came out of. A grin spread across my cheeks again when I realized what path he wanted us to take.

"Well, I don't see why not. I mean, it IS the fastest way to the Cove from here. but lets make it interesting, okay, Toothless?" I said, scratching his neck. Getting the point, we sped back into the rock formation, flipping upside down just before passing the first crag.

Speeding down the mountain of Berk, through trees and a long, hazardous series of cliffs and boulders is exciting. Doing it backwards is even more exciting. Doing it backwards and upside down is utterly exhilarating, to the point that it brought tears of joy to my eyes. I may not be brave with a weapon, I may not be useful in a fight, but It'd be a cold day in Hel when anyone can call me a coward in the air.

Toothless and I sped back to the Cove (upside down the entire way, just to see if we could), landing gracefully right by the den I'd built for myself. I pulled off the flying tack and stored it away, swapping out my riding vest for my bearskin vest. I started thinking of ways to combine the two while giving Toothless a brush down with a wire brush I made at the forge. It cleans in between his scales and he croons so happily when I scrub at the spots my riding harness was digging into him at. I'm still ironing out its kinks, not just for me, but for him, too. After a few more minutes of brushing, I looked into the sky to check the sun's level.

"Well bud, it's almost time for my lunch, so I've gotta get going. But I'll see you in a little while, I promise." Toothless purred at me again, standing on his haunches and giving me one of his dragon hugs. Being grabbed, held onto and then enveloped completely by the wings of a dragon is something that takes a bit of getting used to, but now I find it so comforting that I wish it didn't have to end. I wrapped my arms around his massive frame as best I could and he gave another one of his low-pitched dragon laughs. "Yeah, yeah. I love you too, Toothless." I responded quietly to his laughter. He hugged me a little tighter, but still remarkably gently for a creature that could rip a fully grown tree in half if he wanted to. Then he let go, backed up a bit, and made himself a fire nest by blasting the ground with a wisp of his plasma breath and curled up in it. He looked up at me and then gestured back to my village, knowing just as well as I did that I had to get back.

"I'll see you later." It almost sounded like someone was saying it in unison with me, and when my eyebrow raised at this odd phenomenon Toothless just laughed at me again.

"I really need to stop dreaming about Astrid so I can get a decent night's sleep. I swear I'm going nuts." I muttered under my breath as I walked away, running my hands through my hair so it didn't look so wind-swept. I rubbed some leaves on my vest and green tunic so they didn't smell like a sea breeze and walked my way back to the village, pulling out my journal. I quickly scribbled away at what I had just experienced, getting down the details as accurately as possible. Speeding through the air on Toothless, moving thousands of times faster than any Viking longboat could even hope to move, cannot be described. It has to be felt. And again, I felt the pang of want when I remember who I ran into earlier, wishing I could let her feel what I feel. Wishing she felt how I felt. Wishing I could take her and go somewhere else. Just as long as I had her and Toothless, nothing else would matter. But I knew that wouldn't happen, so I went back to drawing yet another picture of Toothless, trying to distract myself as best I could from the girl that causes me so much anguish. Toothless does an amazing job at helping me with that. And everything else. I sighed, finishing up some details on one of Toothless' ear flaps, when I hear another 'thunk' sound.

It couldn't be. Closing my journal and hiding it away in my bearskin vest, I look ahead. Sure enough, there's Astrid, still training away. She's been at this for hours now, it seems. She still hasn't noticed me. Trying to keep it that way, I made my way back toward the Cove to take a different route when I stopped. I don't want to talk to her, because it usually ends very badly for me, but I know pretty well how this girl works. If she's this focused, she's probably completely unaware that she's going to be late for one of our 'bonding' lunches. Gobber would probably go easier on her than he would on me, but I still felt like I should say something to her. Trying to figure out how to approach her that didn't end in getting axed, I was about to speak when she turned and looked at me. Her brow furrowed immediately.

"Why are you here?" She demanded, staring daggers at me. I thought back to Toothless and the bravery I felt flying on his back enough to speak again.

"I'm just passing through. I had no idea you were here. Besides, didn't you once tell me I'm better off spending time in the woods where I can't break anything important?" She seemed almost taken aback by my sarcasm, since I usually only stammer her name when she approaches me. I can only thank Toothless or that; give me an hour or two, and I'll be back to my normal, timid, stammering self.

"Yeah, I did. But it's a big forest, so find your own spot," She spat back at me. Ouch. That was uncalled for.

"Like I said. I'm just... Passing through, I didn't know you were here. I'll leave you to your tree... Murder... Training... Stuff. But you should really get to the Meade Hall, since its almost lunch and Gobber wants us to 'bond' as warriors." I ended that statement dryly, intentionally putting a sarcastic emphasis on the word 'bond.' She looked back at me, and her look of anger abated just a little. She looked up at the sun.

"Well, good point. I'm almost done, anyway. Now get out of here, you're breaking my concentration." She gave me another steely look and turned to another one of her tree victims and gave her axe a nice heave. I sighed. "You know, for once it'd be nice to have an actual conversation with someone without them acting like I was some sort of troll or butt-elf." I started walking away. My courage was completely drained, but that familiar hurt was back in full force, and it was fueling my sarcasm.

"What did you say?" She asked, both in surprise and anger. I sighed for what felt like the millionth time over her.

"Nothing. I said nothing. Look, just make sure you aren't late, for your own sake. I had to spend six hours cleaning the forge when I ditched one of these stupid 'bonding lunches' and that included shuffling through what I thought were cleaning rags for five minutes before Gobber kindly informed me that's where he kept his spare undies." I would've laughed at the look of terror and disgust on Astrid's face if I wasn't so angry right now. Wait, I'm angry? Really angry? At Astrid? I must be going insane. Don't hear any voices th-

"I'm sorry. Thanks for telling me." Completely surprised at that reaction, I stood there, baffled. Astrid had apologized. Not just that, she had thanked me. The last time someone apologized to me was when Gobber accidentally burnt me with his tong-arm when I was eleven. Before I could say anything in response, though, she tugged her axe from the tree it was sitting in and spoke again. "You should clean yourself up a little before you head in, though. You look like you were attacked by a tree." She turned to walk away. I swatted some of the leaves from my vest as I straightened out my clothing, making it look more presentable. Oh, I was not looking forward to this, even if I did graze the village earlier on Toothless. I never looked forward to these lunches, because the Meade Hall is the heart of the beast. Its where I stick out the most. And in case the twins or Snotlout decide to beat on me, it's also a place Toothless will never be able to help me.

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**A/N:** _Thanks to user Ferdoos for grammatical suggestions._


	3. Unexpected Reactions

Astrid ran off ahead of me to the Meade Hall. I assumed it was so she could make sure no one saw her not yelling at me for once just for trying to start a conversation with her. Begrudgingly, I sighed again and pulled myself toward the heart of the village, where the stairs to the Meade Hall sat. I looked at them, up toward its massive doors, dug right into the side of the highest mountain on Berk.

I started running my hands over my body one more time, still trying to downplay the very evident windswept appearance still lingering on my clothes. While turning to take out my journal again, I stalled to smell the air emanating from behind my bearskin vest, relieved to smell nothing extremely unpleasant; a hint of the soap I use to bathe myself with a bit of sweat thrown in. Now, Vikings aren't known for their hygiene around Berk. Most bathe once a week, on Wash Day, but some are taking to abandoning that tradition and bathing whenever they feel like it. For many in the tribe, it means once every two weeks, maybe more. For me, it usually means once every other day, because the forge tends to get uncomfortably hot and at the end of the day I'm usually soaked in sweat. This being the case, I've taken to bathing more frequently than most. But ever since I met Toothless, I've been getting wet pretty much constantly, considering how much he loves to dive in and out of the ocean even when we aren't fishing, something Toothless seems to excel at. One decent blast into the water, and for some reason it immediately kills any fish nearby, forcing their lifeless bodies to the surface. It seems explosions underwater can do more damage than explosions above water. I'd have to remember to take more notes on that later, and maybe even build another harness for Toothless that can help him gather a backup cache of fish at the Cove. Considering how cold Berk always is, meat tends to stay fresh for a long time, since anything not generating heat freezes pretty quickly. Taking a few more hurried notes of how Toothless uses his plasma blasts to fish, then closing my journal and stashing it away again, I made my way up the staircase heading to the hall.

I reached for the hall door and pushed it open slowly. As I shuffled halfway through the open door, it slammed shut on my ribcage, knocking the wind out of me. I turned to see Snotlout and the twins, laughing at their little prank. Grimacing, I pulled my way through the rest of the doorway and ignored their snickering, grabbed a plate and took my usual spot at a small table at the far end of the hall. Gobber and the rest of the trainees sat at a much larger table nearby, conversing and listening to Gobber's old war stories. I'd heard them all a thousand times, so its not like I'd be missing anything important. Still, though, it'd be nice to be included every once in a while. In a way that doesn't involve causing me pain or ridicule, that is. Or humiliation. I've never been fond of that.

Finishing up my turkey leg as best I could, I pushed my plate aside and took a small sip of the Meade I was given. I've never been much of a fan of alcohol, but there's a lot of it and every once in a while I don't mind it. Today, though, I'm drinking it to mellow me out and help me relax from an entire day of whipping around Berk on the back of Toothless, a job it was doing wonders with. Sitting there, just thinking about the days events (and Astrid, of course, but she's been on my mind every single day since we've met so it's not exactly unexpected) when suddenly I noticed something coming my way out of the corner of my eye. Immediately thinking back to my inverted flight reactions from earlier, I jerked out of the way as the bone of a turkey leg Snotlout had aimed at my head flew past and promptly exploded when it hit the wall to my right. I sat there in shock for a second, reeling at my reaction time. I never realized learning how to react to minute changes in flight patterns quickly and effectively would also help my reaction time off of Toothless, as well. I was about to plunge back deep into my own thoughts about flying when Snotlout tried taunting me.

"Hey Fishbone, stand still this time. That leg was supposed to crack you upside the head, not break on a wall." Before I could retort he flung his plate at me, hoping to hit me on the arm with it. I reacted, again, dodging the plate, watching it clatter to the floor. I leaned over and picked it up, harmlessly setting it on the table in front of me. I stood up and looked at Gobber, noticing how much I could feel the Meade at this point.

"Look, I'm done eating, and as long as I stay here Snotlout's going to keep trying to throw stuff at me. And if he keeps it up, the twins will join in, and I really don't want to be the reason for a food fight in this hall. So could I please just leave?" Gobber eyed me, not looking very happy. He sat there in thought for a moment and then looked back at the other kids. Snotlout was sneering at me, Ruffnut looked like she wanted to punch me, Tuffnut was giving me this disturbing looking grin and slowly making his hand over to his still semi-full plate, Fishlegs looked like he wanted to be anywhere else and Astrid was eyeing me like she had before, in the woods. Only now, there's something else there, like she's trying to figure out how I had done what I just did, when not a month ago those two thrown items would have easily smacked me to the ground with a whimper.

Gobber started up. "Look, lad, the point of eating together is-"

"A bonding experience, I know," I interrupt him, "but it's really hard to bond with the rest of the group when all they want to do is push me off a cliff or beat me senseless or outright pretend I don't exist. It's like I told you before, Gobber. Oil and water. it isn't going to happen, so I don't see the point of keeping me here when all it's going to do is interrupt the real bonding that you six," I gestured to the other teenagers and Gobber, "are all doing." He looked at me, and then at the others, and then back at me. There was a twinge of disappointment in his eyes, but I could tell what was about to happen just because I knew Gobber.

"Alrigh' lad. You do make a valid point, this does ten' ta happen a lot, it seems."

"Every day, actually." I replied.

"Alrigh', but that isn't gon'ta excuse you from eatin' with the res' of us. Ya still have to come here, an' ya still hafta eat wit us. An' I mean REALLY eat with us, not sittin' yerself in a corner where no one can talk to ya. Butcha don' have to stay when yer done. Jus' as long as you see what the experience is like, I think you'll get the hang of it." Taking a swig from his tankard-arm, Gobber turned to Snotlout, a distinct frown etched upon his face. "An' you, boy, you hafta clean up the mess ya've made. An' for attackin' someone off guard, I'm also gonna make ya wash all the tables in here, as well." Gobber grinned as Snotlout let out an irritated groan, looking at me angrily and clutching his other turkey leg in his left hand. I thanked Gobber and turned to head out of the hall, grateful that I didn't have to sit there any longer, trying to do any more 'bonding.' Hopefully this meant I'd only have to be in that hall for thirty or forty minutes each day instead of three or four hours. Thinking about the surprised look I'd see on Toothless' face when I came back two hours earlier than I normally would, I reached to grab the door, only to turn when I heard Gobber yelling.

"LAD, WHA' IN THOR'S NAME ARE YA DOI-" He stopped and gaped. The entire room had gone dead quiet, and I was about ready to pass out from shock at what had just happened. Snotlout had picked up his knife when my back was turned and angrily whipped it in my direction, just as I had turned to look at Gobber for yelling out so loudly. I noticed it coming, but knew I'd have no time to react, expecting to look down and see it protruding from my chest or stomach. It wouldn't be so bad; the knives we use for cutlery aren't usually that sharp because they're not meant for fighting, but they can still do some damage. I looked down, breath still caught in my throat, to see the knife not protruding from, but rather gripped in, my right hand. There was still a lot of blood, though, since I'd caught the blade itself instead of the handle.

Uncomfortable silence almost seemed to echo throughout the hall, until it was broken by someone dropping an empty wooden bowl on the floor. I was still looking down in shock at the fact that I had grabbed a thrown knife out of midair and kept myself from potentially nasty bodily damage. My thumb was killing me, though, considering the tip of the blade of the knife had caught the crook of my thumb, blood slowly oozing down my palm and wrist. I looked up only to see Gobber mere inches from me. I jumped a bit, startled by his sudden presence. I was so focused on how I managed to grab the knife (it had to be dumb luck, I couldn't do that again) that I hadn't noticed him walk over to me.

"How far in did it go?" he asked, in an unusually soft voice. Despite that, I could tell by the look on his face that he was furious; Gobber was like a surrogate father to me, often being the only bridge between myself and my real father.

"Eh, just broke the skin. No big deal, right? We're Vikings, I can handle a little cut." I walked back over to the table, a blank look on my face. Snotlout looked both angry and terrified; both because of what he'd done, and how Gobber would react to it. And the anger I assume was from me showing him up three times in a span of less than an hour. I looked him dead in the eyes and dropped the bloody knife on the bench in front of him with a loud clatter. "I think you dropped this." I kept my face stony, focusing on Toothless so intensely in my mind to keep my resolve from breaking that I wasn't really even noticing anyone in the hall at all anymore. I turned and started to leave, not bothering to stem the flow of blood leaking from my hand now that the knife was no longer embedded in the cut. As I passed Gobber again, he looked at me with an eyebrow raised. I turned to him, fighting back all of my pent up nervousness, anxiety and pain, and just said, "I'll be fine. But I think Snoutlout should clean the floor, too. After all, look at this mess. I'm leaking everywhere." Gobber didn't take it as a joke, though, but before he could tell me to see a healer about it, I cut him off again. "Yeah, I know, I'll go see a healer. I'll see you later, Gobber." I walked out of the hall, specifically pressing my right hand against the right door as I tugged the left one open, leaving a nice, obvious bloodstain on the door. As I started down the stairs, just before my resolve shattered, I heard Gobber bellow.

"SNOTLOUT, YA OVERGROWN HALF-TROLL, I DON' CARE HOW USELESS YA THIN' HE IS, YA DON' GO THROWN' KNIVES AT 'IM! I WAN THIS ENTIRE HALL CLEAN BEFORE SUNRISE TOMORROW! START CLEANIN'! **NOW!**" I smirked, and then gave into the pain. I was leaning against the railing of the stairs leading to the Meade Hall, breathing heavily and balling my right hand into a fist, as it seemed to slow the blood flow as well as the pain. My chest was still throbbing from earlier, but catching that knife hurt so much more. It didn't just cut my thumb open, either. It sliced through the tip of my ring and middle fingers, as well. And the cuts were pretty deep. Still, though, I decided against seeing a healer, since I've been cut just as bad before while flying through the treetops with Toothless, so I went home and did some self bandaging(the cuts weren't deep enough to warrant stitches - thank Thor). After that, I went around the house, dusting the table off and knocking a few things around to make the place looked like it hadn't been basically abandoned for an entire month. I threw some logs onto the hearth and lit it with a flint to heat the house back up. I even went up to my room, though I didn't need to make it look lived-in. No one really ever came up here other than me, and it was just as messy as always. I kept meaning to clean the place up so I had more room to hold my designs and small-scale models(I did design things beyond ones dealing with killing dragons), but time with Toothless has eaten up all of my other plans. I rummaged through my clean clothes, grabbing a tunic that didn't have blood droplets on it, and threw the bloody one in a pile of scrap cloth in a corner of my room after donning a fresh tunic. I was about to head back to the cove when I heard a knock on the door, which was odd, because no one ever bothered to knock on the door when my father was away. I made my way back downstairs and opened the door, expecting to see Gobber, when my eyes flew open wide at the sight of Astrid standing in the doorway.

"Uh, hi! Astrid! Hi Astrid, hi, uh... What, what uh, what are you doing h-here?" I stammered away again. I tried focusing on Toothless, but as I knew would happen, I haven't seen him in almost two hours and my bravery was shot. Astrid simply ignored my stammering, flicked her hair to the side and asked me a question in monotone.

"Is your hand okay?" Her comment surprised me; Astrid hadn't asked me how I was feeling in years. I looked down to my hand and shrugged before I spoke in return.

"Yeah. The cuts weren't deep enough for stitches and I've dealt with worse. Blacksmith's apprentice and all." I looked at her and took another breath, and then looked away, not knowing what I should say or do. I was sure if Toothless was here I'd be able to talk to her, but even then it wouldn't be easy. Luckily for me she saved me from having to say anything else.

"Snotlout's never been that angry at you before. I'd tell you to be careful around him, but Gobber reminded him that Stoick would be coming back soon, along with Snotlout's father, and they'd both be hearing about this knife incident. And you know how your father's going to react to it." She brushed her hair out of her face again, giving me a good look at her beautiful blue eyes. "One more thing: the twins were talking about following you into the woods and tying you to a tree, so I'd watch your back if I were you." I looked at her in surprise.

"Wait... You hate me. Why are you telling me this?" Her eyes widened a little at the reminder, but other than that her face remained still.

"I'm just helping you out because I would've completely missed that 'stupid bonding lunch,' as you called it, if you hadn't said anything. And I don't like being in any kind of debts with anyone, so this is just me paying you back. Besides, Snotlout's been hitting on me all day, and seeing the look of utter terror in his eyes when he realized he'd thrown a knife at the son of Stoick the Vast in blind anger was like having Snoggletog come early this year." I laughed a little, and she actually smirked at me. Then it fell into a partial grimace. "But this doesn't mean you can go sneaking up on me in the forest again." She ended the statement sternly, with a bit of a glare coming to her face. I sighed.

"Look, I really wasn't sneaking up on you. Really. I wander around the forests of Berk pretty much every day. You just happened to be training in one of the areas I tend to frequent is all. If you like training there, then by all means, keep at it. I'll just avoid that place from now on. Then you won't have to worry about privacy issues." I ran my right hand through my hair again to get it out of my face, my tunic riding up my arm. Astrid cocked her head a bit when I did that, but I paid it no mind.

"Well, if you're really not stalking me in the woods then I'm not going to say you can't go to certain places. I train in more than one area, anyway, so don't worry about it." She looked down to my right hand, and then quickly grabbed my arm before I could pull away and yanked the sleeve of my tunic up. "Hiccup, why do you have bruise marks on the **back** of your hands? Even you aren't that clumsy. Usually." I looked down at my hands and then back up at her. I couldn't exactly tell her the truth, that these marks were from a leather covering I had made for Toothless's riding tack that would protect my hands from the wind. It was far too stiff, digging into my hands for several hours while we were flying, which led to some cuts and several bruises. I'd replaced it with a design that didn't rub against my hands while holding on after that first flight, but the bruises still remained. I couldn't exactly lie to her about them, either. Not that I had much of a problem with the concept of lying, I just wasn't very good at it. Hiding, yes. Lying, not so much. Especially not to her. So I took the only out I had: A half-truth.

"Oh, that? It's just from another one of my contraptions backfiring on me. Slapped me across both my hands, left a pretty nice bruise. Then I, uh, melted it down. Destroyed all of the blueprints, actually. Burnt them in the forge." I really, really hoped she'd buy it. I couldn't handle much more of this, and I didn't want her making any connections. One of my favorite things about Astrid is that she's smart; much smarter than she lets on.

"Well, they looked kinda like they're from constant wearing, not a quick slap," she replied, eyeing my hand again. One of the most terrifying things about Astrid is that she's smart, and far too observant for my sake.

"Uh, like, uh, what... Do you mean, ex-exactly?" She looked me dead in the eyes.

"Nothing. It's just that they remind me of a few bruises my father's gotten in the past from using shields too small for his hands. Now, I'm going to get back to the woods, and even though I said I believed your story doesn't mean I won't throw something at you myself if I catch you watching me again. Goodbye." She turned on her heel and walked off in a much different direction than I'd be heading. I stood there, heart in my throat, staring at her as she walked away. She turned and looked at me again, meeting my gaze. She kept looking at me, and then sighed, stopped and turned back around and walked back up to me. Her previous anger off of her face, she looked determined and... A little sad.

"Hiccup, look. I'm sorry I told you I hated you. I don't. I was just really frustrated that day and you just happened to interrupt a training routine I'd been constantly screwing up for weeks. I almost landed it perfectly when you just showed up and startled me." I was... Well, I had no idea what to think. My mind a blank, she continued speaking.

"Anyway, I've gotta get going. See you later." Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away at her usual brisk pace to another section of the woods. I shut the door to my house, turned around, and immediately fell right over, as I had the day I first cut Toothless out of those damned bolas.

I'd collect myself in a little while and head to the cove. I probably didn't have too many nights left to spend with Toothless, and I certainly didn't want to waste any just because I had an actual conversation with the girl I've been in love with forever without it ending in her hitting or screaming at me.

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**A/N:** _Thanks to user Ferdoos for grammatical suggestions._


	4. 72 Hours Remain

**A/N:** _Another chapter goes up! I apologize for drawing out the period before the actual Dragon Training sessions, but I'm fleshing the characters out just a little more before we get to the actual training. The next few chapters will probably be a bit shorter, but then again, I thought this one would be my shortest yet and it's 700 words longer than the first chapter. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it._

_If it seems like it's an obvious reference, it's because it is._

* * *

As it turned out I wasn't given a little while to collect myself, lying on the cold wooden floor of my house. Not thirty seconds after falling here, I hear two distinct hands rapidly knocking on my door.

"Ruff, Tuff, leave me alone. I already know you plan on tying me to a tree in the forest, so I'm not opening that door." I closed my eyes again. Hopefully they'll le-

"Hey dragonbreath, we aren't going to tie you to a tree in the forest anymore! But you have to admit it was a pretty good plan." I heard Tuff exclaim. Exasperated, and losing more time I could be spending with Toothless, I rolled over onto my back.

"Plan? How is that a plan? All it requires is rope, a tree, and a moron who willingly opens his door to two people who have, in the past, tied him to random trees in the forest. That is not a plan. It requires no steps. Just rope and stupidity." I continued to lie there, staring at the ceiling. I was considering just making a break for it out the back when I heard another voice pop up.

"We're not here to do anything to hurt you, Hiccup, we swear! We just wanna know how you managed to DO that today! It was incredible. It's like your speed jumped by plus five overnight!" Fishlegs did seem to be excited about hearing my secrets, but like Hel I was about to tell anyone in this village anything even remotely close to the truth. Even Astrid. Sitting up, I heaved myself to my feet and walked to the door, leaning my back against it. I cleared my throat to let them know I was about to speak.

"I did it because I've officially been Gobber's apprentice for the last nine years. If you don't have quick hands when working with razor sharp blades and molten steel, you tend to regret it." I knew the twins would buy it, but Fishlegs was there and he'd see the obvious flaw in that statement. I was surprised to hear Ruffnut speak up first.

"Idiot, you've been his apprentice for nine years, so what? Two weeks ago I threw a rock at you and you didn't even notice. And you were looking straight at me." I heard them snigger on the other side of the door. I rubbed the top of my head, the bump from the rock long since gone.

"In my defense, I was deep in thought. Though I'm sure only Fishlegs understands the concept."

"I understand it. Ruffnut doesn't, though."

"Who asked you, yakface?"

"Like I need permission to speak, hag!"

"Dragon brain!"

"TROLLHEAD!"

"SNOTLOUT'S BOYTOY-"

"CAN THE TWO OF YOU PLEASE STOP ARGUING FOR ONCE AND LET HICCUP SPEAK?! We could start Dragon Training ANY day now. Stoick's due to come back TOMORROW if their schedule is on time and that means that we'll start actually fighting Dragons in two days! If Hiccup's figured out how to move faster then we need to know! I don't know about you guys, but I'd take any advice at this point, just to calm my nerves." In the brief silence that followed I'd come up with a decent idea of how to get them to leave so I could finally go see Toothless. I cleared my throat.

"If dad is coming back tomorrow and we start training in only two days, then there's not much you can do to improve what you already have by much. But I'm serious, the forge is what gave me the bulk of my hand movements. I just... Have been... Swimming, a lot, lately. And that's made me a little faster is all. See, nothing exciting." I slowly exhaled, hoping this would work. A few seconds of silence passed.

"He's right, you know. Two days isn't a lot of time to work with," came Ruffnut, sounding a bit deflated.

"I'm not swimming. Hiccup, you're insane. You'd freeze to death!" Fishlegs exclaimed. He was probably right, especially for someone like me. But as long as they bought it, I didn't care.

"Oh, grow up, you big baby. the water's fine once you get used to it. But it doesn't matter, anyway. Hiccup's right. There's only two days left before Stoick gets back, probably, and that's not a lot of time. Ugh. I told you this was a stupid idea." Tuffnut grunted, and said nothing more. Silence followed. I sighed, thanking Thor they'd left. Until I heard Fishlegs again.

"So are you going to open the door?" He asked. Why does he think I'd do that? Even if I didn't think Fishlegs would do anything to me there was still the fact that the twins were out there.

"Why?" I blurted out. "I'm still not so sure you're not going to tie me to a tree." Really, I didn't think anyone could blame me for being suspicious.

"Well, we can't exactly blame him for that reaction, anyway. I mean, we have done it to him more than once," Tuffnut said with a chuckle. Ruffnut chimed in.

"We always cut you loose, though." She stated.

"After five hours, yeah." I replied.

"But we still did it." Her retort.

"I'm not opening this door." I tried to say it with an authority my voice utterly lacked.

"Come on, guys. Lets just go practice by ourselves some more. Hiccup's run outta useful information." Tuffnut said, finally fading away from the door.

"Right. But before we go, Hiccup, it was actually pretty cool how you didn't seem to give a shit about Snotlout throwing a knife at you. But you're still a scrawny little punching bag." I was beginning to tire of being surprised so many times in one day, but I'd never gotten a compliment from Ruff before.

"Yeah, and the look his face? When he realized what Stoick and his Dad are gonna do to him? I will never forget it." Tuffnut laughed at his mental imagery.

"Yeah, a real nice catch. Goodbye, Hiccup," I heard Fishlegs say in a sad voice. They walked off, leaving me alone. I lied there for a few more minutes, and after deciding they had really left, I quickly got up and burst out the back door, sprinting as fast as I could to the cove, making sure no one was following me.

* * *

I hurriedly jumped down the series of rocks that made up the rear entry to the cove and began to look for Toothless, only to have him lightly pounce on me again and happily start licking my face in surprise at my hour-early arrival. I managed to get him off of me, and after cleaning slobber from my face I went through everything: Talking to Astrid in the forest, Snotlout throwing a knife at me (Toothless let out a hearty growl at that part - Snotlout's really going to regret that decision if he ever somehow meets Toothless), talking to Astrid again, and the twins and Fishlegs actually being impressed with catching the knife. I also briefly mentioned dragon training, and how I'd be forced into it when my father returned. This was a touchy subject for me, and as such I still hadn't really explained it to him. Before I went into it with him, though, I needed to get into the air and calm down. My mind was still muddy from the entire situation at the Meade Hall and more flying would surely remedy the problem. I gathered our riding equipment again and Toothless purred happily to know I wanted to get him back into the air a second time that day, so soon after I'd left. I double checked some straps, tested the prosthesis, checked the connections to the tailfin and made sure its newly designed buckles sat comfortably over Toothless' scales. After making sure everything was secure and comfortable, we catapulted back into the air.

Every single time we enter the skies, it feels like the first time. My stomach drops to my feet, my heart stops and then stammers, my body starts SCREAMING that I'm in danger, but yet my mind immediately cancels all of those feelings out. I'm on Toothless. I'm in the air. I'm finally home, and I've never been happier. Letting out a whoop, I clicked the left stirrup, causing Toothless and I to start spinning. I clicked it again, causing us to shoot straight down, and after completing our first successful front flip (Yes! usually I fall off mid-stunt) we were once again launched into the skies by Toothless's immensely powerful wings. After a few more high flying stunts I decided to talk to him about training. "Okay, buddy, I really need to talk to you about this 'Dragon Training' thing." I ran my hands up and down his neck. "Basically, bud, the 'Viking Tradition' around here is simple: You aren't considered an adult until you've slain a dragon, and I'm being forced into Dragon Training for that exact reason. My dad wants me to kill dragons, and I really, really don't want to. I've found out too much about you, learned so much about how kind and gentle your kind really can be. I don't want to hurt dragons, and I think I have a plan that might work, but I need to make these sparring matches seem legitimate. Not only do I have to take down my dragon opponent, I have to do it without hurting her, all while my fellow classmates are out to kill her. Or him. I haven't bothered wondering the gender of the dragons we cage, but for some reason I'm thinking they're all female." Toothless looked to me and nodded. I suppose it wasn't hard for his impressive sense of smell to pick up the scents of the caged dragons when we fly about the village at night, since we can get a lot closer without anyone noticing us. "Anyway, that's what's really been bothering me. I need to get the other classmates on my side about dragons, somehow. The adults never pay me any mind, but if I manage a few victories in the ring I might be able to sway the other teenagers, assuming they start coming around after I start winning. I mean, if I start winning. They could just hate me for that, too, even if I do well in the ring. I don't have a decent plan, and I need one, and it's all so messed up-" I stopped my rambling when I felt a purr beneath me. Toothless was looking at me, trying to calm me. It was working, of course. I smiled down to him, running a hand across his head. "I know, I'm rambling. I need to stop worrying and just go with it. One more thing, though." I scratched Toothless's left ear a little and continued. "If I do get them to start listening to me, I'm going to need to convince them dragons aren't dangerous. Meaning, at some point in the next few weeks, if things work out the way I want them to, you may be meeting some of these people. Maybe even Astrid. Are you alright with that, bud? I won't let them bring any weapons, if I can convince them to come meet you. Not that I think you'd be in any danger, I just don't want them to think you're actually afraid of a couple of teenage Vikings that can barely fight. Well, except Astrid. She might put up a fight, but still, I'm not worried about you. Just... Just them." Toothless looked back at me, staring at me blankly. Slowly, he shook his head, and then gave another laugh of his. I loved hearing that noise. "Well, of course I know you're not afraid of them. It just felt right to ask." Toothless crooned at me, and the message was clear: he appreciated it.

* * *

The sun had just set, slowly dimming the skies while Toothless and I were flying about. Screaming through the skies as fast as we pleased, we finally came across it: my father's boat, crowning out of the mists, badly battle damaged and patched up in several places. Using the twilit sky to disguise ourselves we quickly caught up to the ship. As my eyes tried to make out shapes on the small boat, I thought back to the dock's timekeeping logs. The Dockmaster keeps a running schedule of when a boat will be out, and a rough guess as to when it might be back, but those times are usually wrong. Fishlegs might like to worry over stupid things sometimes, but in this particular occasion, his fear isn't unfounded; My father was heading back to Berk, only about a half-day behind schedule. Instead of getting back tomorrow night, he'd be getting back at midday, the day after. Meaning I only had two more nights with Toothless and only three days before Dragon Training began.

We pulled close enough to the ship for me to see some details with my spyglass. I managed to catch a glimpse of my father, looking displeased, as usual, after coming back from the nest without finding it. I had a feeling he wouldn't be able to find it; I was beginning to think only a dragon could reach the nest.

Toothless and I circled around them for a little while, silently trying to hear any conversations that might have been going on while they sailed back home. Unfortunately, the crew was battered, tired, and apparently none too talkative, because the ship was completely quiet, save for Spitelout's obnoxious snoring. I grinned a little as his snoring reminded me that his son shared the same sleep habit, something that I knew Astrid could not stand.

Sure, she'd told me earlier that she hated his flirtations, but it helped to stoke the fire of my barely smoldering ego that there was something about me that she preferred in comparison to the most obvious future suitor of Berk's finest female warrior-in-training. Yes, they'd make a terrible couple. They'd butt heads with everything and spend more time arguing than anything else, because they're a poor match. He's far too arrogant, constantly trying to impress her when it's painfully obvious she isn't interested. And she's too level-headed and independent, too determined to prove she doesn't need anyone but herself. I might not know much of courtship or romance, but at least as far as Astrid goes, I'd always figured she'd need someone with a lot of patience and a big heart. Which is why I always thought we'd make a good couple, though I hated sounding arrogant about it. But even considering all that, Berk has a history of tradition, including arranged marriages. Now, no words have been spoken about the two of them, but it made sense from a warrior-clan standpoint to have the fiercest male and fiercest female make fierce little babies. Which is a thought my brain often refuses to process. If that time ever came, I'd probably banish myself from the clan. I couldn't handle knowing she'd be that miserable, being forced to marry Snotlout. But hopefully, if I can plan this all out right, if I can get some others to my side of thinking, I can show them the truth. I can show them dragons aren't really our enemies. And only then do I think we can take on whatever figure of death haunts the mists of the Dragon's Roost. And after I've done that, if I can end this stupid war, if I can pull off what's probably impossible... Maybe then I'd be the best catch in Berk. It was a long shot, and a really long one at that, but I still thought it was possible. Even if only just barely so.

Stroking Toothless's head absentmindedly, my foot clicked back a bit and we began to descend. I wasn't even in control of it anymore; it's as though when I jump on his back, Toothless's mind takes over my left leg. I was appreciative of that as we descended, since I was getting tired and had a lot on my mind. With my father coming back, I was also getting pretty worried. I didn't want to leave Toothless alone in the cove for hours on end, even if he was a dragon, and I didn't want to be alone for that long, either. I silently wished I could get out of Dragon Training as my eyes began drooping further. Noticing this, Toothless lightly slapped me with one of his earflaps to wake me back up. I jumped a bit, coming back around to full consciousness as I responded to Toothless's slap.

"Sorry, bud. I guess I'm more tired than I thought. All of this flying is really getting to me." I rubbed my abs. "Some days I wake up and everything hurts, just from flying you. But it's a good kind of hurt, so don't worry about it. It just means I'm getting better at staying stable when we fly through the air. Speaking of which, Toothless, why don't we wake me up a bit? Blow through what's left of my energy so we can both get a good, deep, long nights rest, what do you say?" The question was responded with a light, happy purr. In tune, as usual, we soared back up into the skies. Spiraling upward, I noticed a few clouds above us getting bigger, and then after going through them, I watched them shrink below us. We were higher now than we'd ever been before, of this I was certain. But I'd noticed something peculiar: no matter how far up we went, the moon and the stars didn't get any closer. It made me wonder just how distant they really were. It felt as though we could keep flying up into the air and never really make it to them. Sure, everything looks a lot clearer up here, but nothing looks close. Especially the ground. Looking down, I marveled at the sight before me. Everything was so vast, so far away; the odds of someone like me being born in a place like Berk seemed so unlikely. It seemed even more unlikely that someone from Berk would be able to befriend a dragon. Everything about the situation I'd found myself in was so extraordinary, I couldn't help but smile at it. With that, I felt a surge of courage begin to build in me about Dragon Training. Because I did something beyond extraordinary. I did the impossible and lived to tell about it. Now I just needed to make them listen.

I may not be a Viking, but I was still a legend in my own right. I'd bridged a gap everyone else figured was impassable. I befriended the enemy. These thoughts built up in my head, and with an internal nod of approval I realized I could handle Dragon Training. I screamed in delight as Toothless and I began to spiral down to the ground faster than I'd ever moved in my life. I couldn't even keep my eyes open from the sting of the wind, but it didn't matter to me at all. I trust Toothless, even at these breakneck speeds, and even though I can't open my eyes, I'm still amazed at all of this. At the both of us. He's amazing, and I guess, in a way, so am I.

"Left," I can almost hear the command. Toothless' thoughts and mine are so well in tune I feel his directions as words in my head, just from the way his body tenses up when he wants to make a turn or do a stunt.

"Up," I did as I was told. I could feel my body pressing hard against the saddle, the sheer force of movement pinning me to my best friend.

"Down," Toothless's body tensed again, and I clicked the stirrup into a position that caused us to plummet even further.

"Up and right!" His body tensed, and I could nearly feel his joy echoing through my bones. We soared back up into the sky, slowing down a bit, and finally I opened my eyes again. Berk seemed to be nowhere in sight, as every direction was open ocean. Then I look straight down, and through a few distant clouds, I could see a tiny point of light in a sea of black. We were much higher than we'd ever gone, and I was beginning to get light headed and giddy(from the flight, and because it seems harder to breathe this high in the air). Toothless began to descend as I pulled off my harness straps again.

"I'm so looking forward to this. Ready for a midnight plummet, buddy?" I asked, patting him on the head before jumping out of the saddle and standing on Toothless's back, readying myself to jump. Toothless made that decision for me, though; with a laugh, he spun me off of him. I yelped in fright for a moment, not expecting to fall from the saddle before I jumped. He angled himself back over to me, laughing at my reaction over the sound of the wind blowing past us. I sighed, but with an unmistakable smile on my face.

"Really funny, there, bud. You're quite the comedian," I shouted over the wind. I knew he could hear me even if I could barely hear myself. I breathed in deeply as we passed through a cloud, enjoying the cool, misty air collecting in my lungs. Laughing, I tucked in my limbs and manage to pull off a few forward rolls before flattening myself out, limbs spread wide, slowing my descent by a tad. I really couldn't think of anything better than being in the air, and after shifting my body into a headfirst dive, I couldn't think of anything more relaxing than freefalling. My thoughts wandered, though, to the same person they always do. While freefalling alone is great, I couldn't help but think it would be even better with Astrid in my arms, a smile on her face, the stars shining in her beautiful blue eyes, the light of the moon making her golden hair seem to glow, her beautiful lips slowly reaching for mine...

...I couldn't keep thinking about it. I felt overwhelmed, focusing instead on the fall we were still going with. I looked to Toothless, and with a nod to him we pulled out of the freefall, glided a bit and quickly landed back in the cove. I followed our usual routine of changing out of my riding gear and scrubbing down Toothless with his wire brush. After I finished scrubbing down Toothless's scales, I grabbed a bucket and filled it with water from the lake. Toothless shot a tiny ball of fire into it, immediately warming the water up for me. I grabbed some soap and a rag and began washing myself before we slept. It's not Wash Day, and it might not be a day I spent in the forge, but after all of the flying we'd done I felt pretty sore. Some warm, soapy water would feel so good on my skin.

Toothless seemed to understand the concept of privacy, too, because while I bathed myself, he had his right tailfin blocking his vision from my cleaning. I was thankful for it, because even though he's my best friend and a dragon, I still feel a bit bashful when I'm bathing myself. Mainly because of the whole 'not wearing any clothes' thing. Moving on from that line of thinking, I started on cleaning myself up. My right hand stung a little when I pulled off the bandages to clean the wounds again, but it wasn't anything foreign to me. Finally, after drying myself off and redressing the cuts on my hand(ignoring the sting of the ointment I applied), I washed my bearskin vest, tunic, pants and boots, leaving them all to dry by a fire Toothless had started while I was bathing myself. Wearing a clean set of clothes I kept in the den, I crawled into the cave-turned-Den next to Toothless. He puffed out another blast of plasma to heat up the fire that was keeping us warm and drying my clothes, and I threw on another few logs I had stored just outside the den so the fire would burn through the night. I leaned against Toothless and scribbled down a few pages of tiny notes and drawings of the day's events in my journal. As the charcoal scraped across the parchment, I absentmindedly start talking to Toothless about Astrid.

"Toothless, honestly, bud, I think you would like Astrid. Plus I'm sure you two would get along well if she could get over you, well, being a dragon and all. She's tough, confident and proud, but I know she's got a softer side. I just don't know why she's hiding it." I closed my journal, looking at the front of it. Curiously, since I'd never really thought about it until just now, I opened the journal back up, but to the first page. I started counting out some drawings. "Eleven, twelve, thirteen..." I smiled when I reached the thirteenth and final drawing of Toothless. This is probably the best drawing I'd ever done, and not to mention, it also happens to be my favorite. "I've got thirteen full drawings of you in here, bud. I'm not gonna bother counting the doodles, because if I did I wouldn't get any sleep tonight." Toothless let out a small laugh. I went back to counting, this time with a different subject in mind. I turned to the last page again and finished my tallying. I cleared my throat, smiling a little at the face I knew Toothless would be giving me in a moment.

"I, uh, also have a few drawings of Astrid in here. Nothing much, just a few... Dozen." Slowly, I turned to Toothless. Sure enough, he had a knowing grin on his face and his eyes were half lidded, pupils fully dilated. I could almost hear him taunting me in my head. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Pathetic. But here, this is my best drawing of her. You're in it, too. Take a look. She's beautiful." I showed the picture to Toothless. It was a two page drawing of Astrid and I in his saddle, cleaving through a cloud with one of his wings. His eyes were big and happy-looking, his tongue hanging out of his mouth much like it had on our first successful flight. I'd drawn a huge grin on my face and Astrid's, her arms wrapped tightly around me.

His eyes scanned the image, opening and blinking, going from slits to wide open pupils. He grunted to me, and in response I put the journal down. The look he was giving me was one of understanding and agreement. I opened it back up and made a note of his behavior before closing it and putting it in the basket I'd been using as a storage bin for the den. I turned around to sleep on the old quilt I'd laid out for Toothless and I, back when I had set this den up. Toothless had a different idea, though, and with a grumble he opened up his wings, beckoning me inside. He and I both knew I'd be very cold sleeping on an old quilt without my vest on, even with the fire burning at the mouth of the cave. I sighed lightly, crawling over to his open wings. He pulled me in and gently folded his wings over me, emanating a constant purr in an attempt to put me to sleep. It was working, because within a few moments, my heavy eyes shut and I began drifting off. Images of Astrid and I upon Toothless, flying over the steely waters of the moon begin overtaking my senses as I was lulled to sleep by Toothless's purring. "Astrid..." I let slip out of my lips, not immediately even realizing I'd said it. Just before I fell fully into unconsciousness, I heard what I had assumed was my father's voice.

"_Don't worry. You'll see her again soon. Just go to sleep._" I didn't jump this time around. For some reason the voice was comforting to me. Without thinking, I snuggled up in Toothless's wings and replied to it.

"I know I will. I love her, and you. Good night, Toothless." And with that, I passed out.

* * *

**A/N:**_Thanks again to Ferdoos for error fixes._


	5. Barriers and Dirty Bets

**A/N:** _I'm just going to stop guessing how long these chapters are going to be. Regardless, more Toothless, then more Meade Hall. Hope you enjoy it._

* * *

"_Wake up_." I rolled over, eyes still closed. "_Come on, or we won't have any time._" Whoever kept talking to me did have a point, I thought, in some region of my thoughts far off in the distance. I wasn't really aware of what the words meant, though. The part of my brain that gave them meaning must still be in its own slumber, to which I was slowly returning. That is, until Toothless let out a low, rumbling yawn that shook me to my core, vibrating me awake.

In a bit of a daze, I noted that while a bit jarring, being awakened by the rumbling of a dragon's yawning wasn't a terrible way to start the day. It was like getting a full body massage. Sliding out from under Toothless's wing, I exited the den, standing in my socks next to the fire pit. It was smoldering, but still giving off a decent amount of heat. Looking in the sky to check the time, I guessed I had about three hours before noon, making it somewhere around nine. I stretched as Toothless sauntered out behind me. Yawning again, he crept over to the lake to take a drink while I put on my almost-uncomfortably-warm shoes.

"Oh, hot. Good job again, Toothless. These boots are really nice and warm. The vest, too." I slid it back on over my already equipped riding vest just to bask in its warmth for a moment. Toothless was back over by me, eyeing me. I stretched out again, grinning. "I'm pretty sure every muscle in my body hates me right now, but I can't say I regret all of the flying we do." He laughed, poking me in the stomach with his nose. "Yeah, yeah, I know. We'll go fish up some breakfast, but this time we do it with the net. I don't want to eat breakfast soaking wet. Again." Turning back to the fire, I threw on some more logs and had Toothless jumpstart them for me. I hung my bearskin back where it was drying the night before and grabbed Toothless's saddle. I threw it on him, grabbed my net and we took off. We reached the ocean and after checking to see how far along my father's boat was, we went and gathered breakfast for Toothless and myself.

Sitting down with my bearskin vest back on, leaning against Toothless and roasting a fish over a dragon-started fire, I began to wonder how I was going to manage what I knew I needed to do. I flipped my fish over and turned to talk with Toothless.

"Hopefully they'll start with the Terror, first. Those little things act all tough, but you show 'em a little love and all of a sudden you're the best thing in the world to them." Toothless purred in agreement. "Not very bright, but loyal and playful. Something tells me that if Berk wasn't at war with the dragons they'd probably be popular pets." I laughed at the thought of a Terror running around on Gobber, happily avoiding his good hand and purring like crazy. I took a bite of fish. "So, my father's landing tomorrow, on Tyr's Day. It'll probably be some time in the late evening thanks to the storm that hit last night. I was glad we checked on them before fishing this morning, because now we know for a fact we have more time. Anyway, on Odin's Day, we'll continue like business as usual, since his delay will mean that everything he was planning on doing today he'll have to do then. But, the day after that, Thor's Day nonetheless... My father, Gobber, the rest of the teens and I will officially start Dragon Training. I'll need to figure out a way to get the dragons to understand and play along with my antics to win over the appreciation of my peers. If I can pull that off, hopefully I can talk the group into believing dragons aren't the real problem here. It'll be difficult to do by myself, though. Having an ally in all of this that's also human would make this it much easier." I took another bite of the fish, wishing I could just tell someone and have them understand. Understand... "Toothless, do you understand what I'm saying? I mean, do you really understand the language I'm speaking?" For some reason I never considered Toothless might not just be recognizing phrases and patterns, but actively understanding the words I'm speaking. I watched him swallow a fish and then turn to me, his left ear twitching a little as he stared. I began to feel rather stupid for asking that question. How would Toothless know what I'm saying?

He nodded.

If not for the fact that I had already swallowed it, I would have choked on my fish. Toothless apparently understood my language. Meaning we could have an actual conversation if he could speak it. Speaking of which...

"Toothless, do dragons have their own language?" I held my breath. If I was only a language barrier away from being able to literally communicate with dragons, this would go from almost impossible to easier than flying Toothless. I hoped and prayed to Thor Toothless would nod. He looked right at me and rumbled. He did it again. I raised an eyebrow in wonder. Did that mean yes? Was he trying to speak with me right now?

"_Yes._"

I jumped back from Toothless in surprise when his response met my ears. It was as though the rumbling formed a word I could actually understand, even though I still heard it as unintelligible vibrating, as well. At that point, I understood. The voices I kept hearing near Helheim's Gate... Those warbling noises were from the dragons, and I was partially understanding their mournful cries because of how much time I've spent with Toothless. I'd been learning his meanings by observation, and now I realized all of those noises he's been making aren't being made just because he likes them, but because he's using them to speak, in his own way. I cleared my throat.

"Toothless. I don't know how we're going to do it, but I need you to teach me how to understand Dragon. If the other dragons can understand me, and I can understand them, I can just tell them my plans. It would make things so much easier."

"_Yes..._" I hear him rumble again. I couldn't make out the rest of what he was saying, but that didn't matter. If I could learn to translate one word he says, I can translate _all_ of them. The prospect began making me giddy. But how to accomplish it? And... How does Toothless even understand my language? I turned to him, bursting with questions.

"Toothless, did another dragon teach you to understand Norse?" I was really curious at this point.

"_Yes._" There it was again, the rumbling that meant he was agreeing with me.

"I know I need to get to the Meade Hall in two hours, but I have a lot of questions to ask and I'm dying to get into the air. It's worth risking another half day in the forge. Lets go for a quick flight, okay, Toothless?" I knew he'd want to, and unsurprisingly he jumped up, hopping over to me and rumbling a different sound I took to mean "_Get on._" I didn't hesitate, and in seconds we were airborne.

* * *

I was honestly surprised that my journal hadn't caught fire with how fast I'd been writing in it. We'd taken off and after a few swift flips, Toothless leveled out. With the wind calm enough to speak easily, we worked through a series of the best yes or no questions I could ask him. I learned that all dragon species he knows of can learn Norse(or any human language, for that matter), and could easily pick it up by living in close proximity to humans. Terrors only have a basic grip on speaking, so most of what they say is said in incomplete sentences, but apparently he's met a few that could speak Dragon(Dragonic? Dragonese? I'm not sure what to call it yet) normally. Dragons are incapable of speaking human languages, and while I'm not sure why, I have a feeling it's because human mouths have a better range of movement. I also found that humans are incapable of speaking the dragon's language, but apparently Toothless has a story to tell me about that after I learn how to understand him a little better.

Slamming shut my book and stuffing it into my inside pocket, I started sprinting up the stairs to the Meade Hall, already ten minutes late. I shoved the door open wide(Not giving anyone an opportunity to repeat what happened yesterday) and quickly shut it behind me, grabbing a turkey leg and a cup of water. I sat by Gobber at the edge of the bench. No one was really paying attention to me other than him.

"Oh, nice o' ya ta join tha party! Here I was thinkin' you were gonta be cleanin' me house taday!" he joked, smacking me on the back. The other teens were chatting amongst themselves when Snotlout piped up.

"Hey Hic, don't get any of that turkey on the floor. I spent all of last night cleaning it and since I had to I'm going to be reminding everyone what a good job I did. All day. For the next week." Snotlout might not be a very humorous (or bright) person, but sometimes he says some things that are actually kind of funny. I swallowed my mouthful of poultry and retorted.

"I won't get anything on your clean floor if you promise not to throw any more cutlery at me." He almost looked like he wanted to laugh, but instead just grumbled something that sounded like 'sorry about that,' under his breath. I took the apology, since that's usually the best you can get out of him, and went back to my lunch. Fishlegs spoke up.

"So, are w-we starting training tomorrow?" he asked, a small stammer in his voice. I looked around the table; all of my peers, even Astrid, seemed tense. I was the only one that wasn't. Gobber noticed this and raised an eyebrow at me, which caused everyone ELSE at the table to turn to me. Suddenly, I felt as tense as they looked, and then tried to answer Fishlegs' question to divert attention from me back to Dragon Training.

"I, uh, I don't think so. Dad's still not back yet, and he won't land in time to finish everything he has to do before we start training, so it won't be until Thor's Day," I looked at Gobber, who was eyeing me again. "Probably." Gobber shook his head and responded.

"Nonsense, lad! Tha' ship's gon' ta be in that 'arbor any minute now, jus' you see. It'll be on Odin's Day we enter tha' Kill Ring, an' don' you doubt it!" He said with a smirk, drinking his Meade. Little did he know I knew for a fact they'd been delayed and he was wrong. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. It was too good an option not to take advantage of it.

"I bet you they won't be back until sundown tomorrow, Gobber," I said, in a surprisingly commanding voice. The rest of the kids looked at me. Gobber laughed.

"Oh, we got ourselves a fiesty Hiccup taday! Whacha gonta wager, tha' lil diary o' yours?" Snotlout and the twins laughed. Fishlegs looked embarrassed for me(even though I didn't) and Astrid looked... Angry at Gobber? Impossible. I dropped it from my mind and tried to defend myself.

"It's a book of notes and calculations for my machines, not a diary. Like my life is exciting enough to write about." I figured that would have sounded like something I would've said before Toothless, since that overgrown salamander had really gotten under my skin and made me feel a lot better about myself. Taking a drink of water, I continued what I was saying. "If they come in after sundown tomorrow, I get full forge permissions and full privacy, no questions asked, for a week." Gobber considered this while looking at me critically. Slowly, he responded.

"Ya realize yer term fer losin' this 'lil bet o' yours is gonna have ta be pretty hefty for tha' one." He responded. I shook my head in agreement before spoking again.

"If they get here before sundown, I'll clean your house AND the forge, again. And I'll sharpen every weapon in your display rack, and polish them. I'll even knit you an entire set of new undies." The twins laughed out loud at my last point. "What? knitting's a useful tool-

"No, it's not that," Ruffnut interjected, in between laughs, gasping for air. Tuffnut continued. "We heard about you finding Gobber's underwear in the forge, so when Snotlout was forced to clean the hall last night..." He burst out laughing. Snotlout punched him in the face, making Tuff shout in pain. "OH GODS! My nose! My nose is hurt! And it's my best feature! I'm gonna KILL YOU!" With that, he dove on Snotlout. Gobber got up and kicked them both in the head with his peg before forcing them both back into their seats. I opened my mouth again.

"So you did what, exactly?" I asked.

"THEY GAVE ME A BAG OF USED UNDERWEAR AND TOLD ME THEY WERE CLEAN RAGS!" Snotlout shouted. I nearly choked on my water and spilled it down my shirt. Most of the people in the village have never heard me laugh, but everyone in the Meade Hall were getting the full experience. I haven't laughed this hard in years, if ever. Oh, why hadn't I thought of that? It would've been so much funnier. Pulling in a raspy breath, I continued my nasally laugh, falling off the side of the bench with tears in my eyes. I couldn't talk or think, and I could barely breathe. After several more minutes of laughing at Snotlout as he just sat there, most likely plotting his revenge, I finally managed to calm down. I caught my breath as I rose to my feet and sat back on the bench. I wasn't the only one laughing, I'd noticed, and even Snotlout had a slight grin on his face when I looked over to him. Feeling a bit bad about laughing at him(even though he's done it to me for years) I tried to lighten the mood a little.

"Well, Snotlout, if it's of any consolation, while I was convulsing in laughter on the floor, I couldn't help but notice that it looked absolutely beautiful. But I think I may have gotten a tear or two on it, so I'm sorry for that," I finished. To my astonishment, everyone at the table started laughing lightly, even Snotlout. Was this what bonding was like? I'd have to thank Toothless again later for the help, since all of my self-confidence radiated from him. I heard hefty laugh to my left as Gobber's voice echoed into his tankard arm while attempting to take a drink. He finally took a large gulp of meade and turned back to me.

"So, we agree on tha' terms o' yer bet, righ'? I'm lookin' forward ta seein' all me pretties lookin' all shiny and new. I can' wait!" I grinned a little, knowing that if Gobber ever found out about Toothless, he might be able to figure out I was basically cheating him. I had my reasons for doing it, though, so I didn't mind basically lying to him all that much. In true deal form, I shook his good hand to seal the bet with the other teens as witnesses. Once I had that forge to myself, I'd finally have the tools necessary to put my plan into action. Diving back into my journal while slinking down a bit into it to keep prying eyes away, I heard Gobber mention something about finishing up a personal project at the smithy. We hadn't had a lot of fix requests since the last dragon raid, so we had more free time than usual. Finishing his meade, he got up and left. I heard Fishlegs stand up with Snotlout and the twins when someone called my name. I turned, realizing it was Astrid.

"So, now that they're gone, I have a question." She was still sitting at the table with me, right across from me now, eyeing me intently. I gulped.

"Yes?" I asked, in a less-than courageous voice. She cocked her head a little and responded.

"The odd bruises, the way you always vanish each day, and the fact that you caught a knife, which was actually pretty impressive, by the way. It all leads me to only one conclusion." My heart nearly imploded when she told me I'd impressed her, though my adrenaline was pumping hard. I was curious and a bit worried as to what the conclusion she reached _was._

"A-And that is?" She smiled at my stammer, which struck me as out of place. Astrid smiling at me wasn't exactly commonplace.

"What are you training with?" She asked, stony faced again. I leaned back a little in my seat and gave her a confused look.

"Astrid, I'm not training with anyone. Like I told the others, it's just from working at the forge and s-swimming." Oh Gods I wish I hadn't stammered just then. She looked at me, slowly getting angrier. Oh boy.

"Hiccup, no one just gets as good as you're getting as quickly as you have without some serious help. Even I would've had a hard time catching that knife, and I'm pretty sure Ruffnut's the only other one from our group that would have any chance at doing it. You're getting help, and I wanna know who it is." The determined look set on her face revealed nothing. She meant exactly what she said, and she expected to get it.

"Why would you want to know? I mean, uh, training's only in a couple of days and that's not enough... Time. Yeah, there'd really be no reason to show you him." I didn't realize what I'd said until after it left my mouth. Cursing to myself, I wondered why for the love of Thor I'd always been so damn stupid around her. looking over at Astrid, I noticed a victorious smirk across her face.

"So you ARE getting help. I want to see him, right now." She stood up.

"A-Astrid, wait! No, I can't- not yet-"

"Stop stammering. I want to see him." She looked angry now. Very angry. "Lets get going." I sighed again, barely managing to compose myself. Standing up straight I looked at Astrid.

"The only way I can show you to him is if I know I can trust you. He's very protective of me, and the only way he won't attack you is if you and I seem to be on friendly terms." I looked her in the eyes, slowly alternating between the two. Despite being terrified of someone finding me out, I couldn't help but notice their luster again.

"So how are we gonna do that?" She responded.

"Simple. We leave this hall, go for a walk in the forest and have an actual conversation for once. No hitting or smacking or yelling or kicking. Just talking, like two normal people." I could tell she didn't quite like the idea of that, and something told me the situation was about to get worse considering what else I'd have to tell her. "And don't bring your axe. He doesn't like seeing weaponry." Astrid immediately retorted.

"You want us to wander into the woods alone and unarmed? What are you, stupid?" I smirked at her.

"I've been called that. You can bring a dagger, just don't bring the axe. It'll freak him out and he'll see it as a betrayal of trust, so this is the only way you'll be finding anything out." Sitting across from me, Astrid thought. Just as she was about to say something else, the door to the hall opened and Herja, Astrid's mother of all people, entered.

"Astrid? girl, come here, I have a few things I want done." Astrid was obviously none too happy about hearing this, but considering it was her mother, she couldn't exactly say no. With a slight sigh she turned to Herja.

"How long is this going to take?" She asked. Her mother leaned to one side and put her hand on her hip.

"Lady, it doesn't matter how long it'll take, I'm your mother and you'll do it. But don't expect to be done until this evening. Now finish up eating and get to the house." With that, she turned and left. I looked back to Astrid, who was clearly upset about the turn of events.

"Well," I started, "It is only Moon's Day, and with training we'll see more of each other, so give it enough time and you'll get what you want. Probably. I'll have to pass it by him, first, though." I knew I'd already mentioned it to Toothless, but I didn't want to show up unannounced with a stranger.

"Whatever. I'll see him eventually, one way or another." Astrid looked to the door and sighed. "Guess my afternoon is shot. Goodbye, Hiccup. I'll see you later." She stood up and left.

* * *

"...And then she actually gave me a polite goodbye and walked away. Crazy, huh?" I had, of course, immediately come to Toothless after I could break away from the crowd, and had just finished telling him the story. He wasn't too pleased with the idea of having to meet Astrid so soon, but I assured him it'd be fine. "She probably thinks you're some super old hermit Viking I found living in the woods somewhere and you're giving me secret techniques. I'm almost excited to see her reaction if I wasn't so afraid she'd try to kill me. Or worse, tell the village about you." Toothless laughed at the comment as I fastened the buckles of his harness. "Anyway, bud, lets say we spend the rest of the day above the clouds. Ever since that storm moved in last night, I haven't seen the sun. And I don't know about you, but I wouldn't mind a little bit of it." Toothless crooned happily at me as I tried to figure out what he was saying. After listening to him for a little longer, I realized that the tone he always used around me must be what he called me in his tongue. The rest of the statement fell into place after that.

"_Hiccup, quit thinking so much and get on._" I smirked, wondering how he'd react to my translation.

"Let me guess. That meant something along the lines of, 'Hiccup, quit thinking so much and get on'?" Toothless looked at me the same way he did when I kicked my dagger into the lake when we first met, then he started laughing again. "Yeah, I'm catching on. Regardless, lets get going. I really wanna feel this today, and I wanna try that jump one more time." Toothless danced happily as I climbed on, and with a flick of my ankle, we were off again.

* * *

**A/N: **_Thanks again to Ferdoos for mistake fixes._


	6. Learning to Speak Again

**A/N**: _The root of Astrid's anger problems show themselves._

_Like I've said in my profile, I own nothing and How to Train Your Dragon (book or movie) and anything related to it belong to their respective owners. I'm just a guy writing a story._

_Only mentioning this because I'm using the term 'Dragonese' and I don't want anyone thinking I'm claiming I made it up. It's in the books. Or so I've heard, since I've never read them._

_Also, three chapters in one day? I might be a Nightmare, because I'm on fire._

_Don't worry. I hate myself for that joke, too._

* * *

It was almost sundown before we landed. I'd been trying to talk to Toothless all day, and it was getting easier. I felt as though I had a natural knack for learning new languages, if this was anything to go by. Before I left for the Meade Hall earlier today I was incapable of understanding more than a few key words from Toothless, but now I was getting broken sentences. It might have something to do with how extremely eager I am to learn, though. I've always loved being around Toothless, and I can't wait until we can speak freely. I was scribbling some more notes down in my journal as Toothless played with a fish he managed to smack out of the lake of the cove. I sat in silence, trying to decipher what he was saying.

"_Slimy, slimy, wiggly thing. Stop bouncing!" _He whacked the fish around, purring in delight. _"Stupid fish... Can't... not in... water."_ I caught enough of what he'd said to get the basic gist of it. I watched as he slapped the fish into a rock, causing it to go still. _"Oops... Tasty." _I wasn't entirely certain why he was speaking out loud while he killed the fish, or even all of what he was saying, but I had the feeling it was because of me. Toothless kept looking back at me and smiling as he played with and eventually ate the fish, chattering away the entire time. Ever since I asked about his language earlier this morning, Toothless hasn't stopped making noises. I had a feeling he figured he could help me learn by barraging me with an overload of Dragonese (as I've decided to call it) whenever I'm with him, which turned out to be a decent idea. My brain has been quickly discerning the distinct pitches his rumbling speech is made of simply because I'm getting such a sensory overload. I couldn't help but feel like I was back in the forge on my first day. I had so many new things coming at me and only one of me to try to deal with them all. Luckily, in this situation, I'm not an overactive six-year-old around something as dangerous as war implements and a boiling hot forge. I Looked down at Toothless, who had decided to walk over and lie by me after eating his fish. As I mindlessly scratched his head, I began to wonder something else about Dragonese.

"Toothless, do dragons have a written language? Like my runes in this journal?" I showed him the journal again. He looked at it, sniffed and turned to me and shook his head. He gestured to his paws and looked at me like I was an idiot. He rumbled again and his statement was crystal clear.

"_I don't have hands, genius."_ I looked at him and repeated his statement, word for word. He grumbled in approval when I even understood the word 'genius' in his language. We hadn't used the word before, but for some reason I went with it.

"So what? The first major bonding day we had in this cove, you used an uprooted tree to draw all of those lines in the ground around me. You could've done it that way. Not to mention, you have claws, and could easily scratch out stories with them in stone." Toothless grunted at me, responding.

"_We draw. We don't write."_ I repeated it, again, to make sure I understood him correctly. We'd been carrying on like this all day: I repeat to him in Norse what he tells me in Dragonese. The process had been working quite well.

"Hm. Draw but don't write. I remember hearing stories about ancient human cultures using pictures instead of words as a 'written language' of sorts. Is it like that?" Toothless crooned at me, giving me a gummy smile.

"_Now you're getting it._" He stood up and stretched, just as I did. Laughing at our similar actions, I rubbed him on the head and spoke.

"Well, I have to get back into the town for a little while to grab another book and make an appearance. I'm not usually this scarce in the village, and someone's bound to notice eventually. Besides, as you can see, this journal's completely full," I said, flipping through the pages. Amongst descriptions, hastily scribbled thoughts and concepts, were all of my doodles and drawings. As much as I'd always preferred to be humble, I couldn't help but think that my drawings were quite good. I won't say I'm as good as Bucket, a local Viking who wears a bucket instead of a helmet, gifted with an eye for art ever since his skull was cracked by a dragon. However, I still thought I was decent enough. I left that thought as a final note on the last page of this journal(along with wondering if the name or the bucket came first) before I closed it. I'd already written two others before my current journal, and I had them hidden under a floorboard in my room. I have to keep a reminder to which floorboard they're hidden under in the front page of every journal I keep, since I'd thought my first journal was lost after prying open the wrong floorboard. I flipped to the front page again, looking at a message scrawled in small writing in the corner: 'second panel to the right from the left leg of the bed.' I'd read it and then shut the journal and pushed it into my vest pocket. I rubbed Toothless on the nose again before I spoke. "I'll see you a little later, Toothless. But I promise I'll be back. it is our last night together, after all." We looked at each other, both obviously not happy with the arrangements, but it's not as though we have a choice.

"_I know. Go. Come back Later. I'll sleep."_ I'm not sure if he was using incomplete sentences to make his statement more obvious or if it was just the way I'd heard it. I was still getting the hang of understanding Dragonese, which was obvious after I repeated his exact words. He gave a grumble that I translated.

"_Good enough._" I shrugged at his comment. Apparently I had missed something, but at the very least, mistakes are the key to learning, after all...

"Alright. I'll see you later then, Toothless." I finished rubbing his head and walked off.

* * *

Walking through the forest and admiring my own drawings again, I heard footsteps coming far off from the left. Shutting my journal and stuffing it away, I ducked behind a nearby tree. Hoping to not see the Thorston twins, as I still hadn't accepted that they wouldn't tie me to a tree, I peered slowly around it only to see Astrid again, sitting on the ground nearby. Her back was leaning against a tree, and as the rest of her came into view I heard her cough a little, and then... Sniffle? Gods, was she crying? About _what?_ Right as the thought crossed my mind, my hand accidentally slipped a little on the tree it was gripping, and of course, she heard it.

"Who's there?" I heard her pick up her axe and start moving toward my tree. It'd probably be best if I showed myself and got it over with, because even if I could outrun her, she'd still know it was me. I popped around the tree with my hands in the air.

"Don't- don't throw your axe! It's just me. I heard you coming and thought you were the twins, which is why I was hiding." I walked out completely from behind my tree, and we both looked at each other. I was marveling at her eyes, still beautiful and blue, but also a bit red. So she was crying, though her voice didn't betray her as she spoke.

"Hiccup, why is your hair blown back like that?" Odin's Beard, I'd forgotten about my hair. It tends to get very tousled whenever I spend the day flying. I quickly began trying to straighten it out againt.

"Oh, it's nothing, nothing much. Just, running my hands through it a lot, you know. Plus, there's some cliffs with some good views nearby, but they're a bit windy, you know." Wondering how I was going to get out of this one, I noticed her just shrug and look at me again.

"Oh. Alright. I'll see you later." She turned to walk away, but not before glaring at me, but for once it wasn't angry. Almost hurt. Now I was confused, and at this point, utterly irritated with how she'd been acting around me. Against my better judgment, I stopped her.

"Wait, Astrid. Can I ask you a question?" I asked, though my gut feeling said she woudn't respond to it.

"What is it?" She turned with a sigh. The setting sun catching her entirely, I finally noticed how absolutely exhausted she looked. It made me wonder if the girl ever slept.

"What's wrong with you?" I quickly blurted out. She didn't like that.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Her familiar scowl was back again.

"I mean, why are you so run down and so angry all the time? I never see you doing anything else but training in this forest. Do you even hang out with the other guys anymore?" I questioned her for once. Never a fan of prying eyes, she huffed and raised her voice a little.

"Keep in mind, you spend all of your time in the forest, yet you don't see me grilling you about spending time here instead of being out with friends." I saw a decent comeback, but it was a cheap shot and I knew it. Still, I decided to go with it, as I was sure it would pull the wind from her sails.

"Hey, at least you have friends you can confide in. All I have are the trees," I lied. I've never been good at lying to this girl, but luckily I'd managed to do well with it at this point. My response visibly shook her, and instead of deflating like I thought she would, she ran up to me and shoved me into a tree behind me, holding me in place by sticking her double-bladed axe up to my throat. I began regretting my choice of words as she spoke to me, angrily.

"Hiccup, they aren't my friends. I don't have any time and I barely know them anymore. They're more like acquaintances than anything else. I don't have anyone to talk to, so don't act like it's all about you, poor you, who doesn't have any friends. And here I am, forced to pick up your slack." I'd never seen her so angry, but my mind swiveled to her end statement.

"What do you mean by 'picking up my slack'?" I asked, in the calmest voice I possibly could considering the circumstances. It apparently caused something in her to snap, because she started screaming at me.

"WHY DO YOU CARE?! ALL YOU DO IS PISS AROUND THIS FOREST ALL DAMN DAY! I'M THE ONLY ONE OUR AGE ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING TO TAKE ON THIS WAR!" Her outburst finally caused something about her to click. I can't fight; Snotlout's a bragger who talks big but can't back it up; Fishlegs is book-smart, but is even worse with a hammer than Snotlout is; Tuffnut is competent, but not as good as his sister; Ruffnut is second best to Astrid in capability, but she's not nearly an equal. Astrid's behavior, her anger, her demands to know how I'd gotten so fast, it all made sense now.

"You feel like this entire war is going to be resting solely on your shoulders when we inherit it, don't you?" I asked, as nicely as I possibly could. If I'd never seen Astrid shocked, it had changed at that very moment. She put her axe down and said nothing. I continued. "Astrid, why don't you follow me? There's a field nearby that I've never seen anyone go near. We can rest in some tall grass, and instead of trying to ignore your problems, you can tell me about them." She looked at me.

"Why should I tell you anything?" She spat. I could tell she was considering it, though.

"Because I'm not the rest of them. I'm not going to criticize you. I'll just listen. It'll help, I promise. Besides, you can't go on like this. If you keep pushing yourself like this, the only thing you'll be inheriting is an early grave." Bravely, and stupidly, I grabbed her hand, leading her to the field in question. She said nothing and tugged her arm out of my hand. But she was still following me.

* * *

We were sitting in the same patch of grass I've come to call 'Dragon Nip' due to its effect on dragons. Astrid wasn't speaking, so I decided to start it off.

"So, what's up? Talk to me." I said it with a smile, trying to let her know I wanted to hear what she had to say. In truth, I really did; seeing her like this is almost physically painful for me. She glanced away, but then looked back at me. She finally spoke.

"A few months ago, I overheard your father talking to my parents about a message Gothi sent him. She not only decides the victor in our training, but as the village elder she has the power to choose a new chief if the current one dies or leaves no heir. In this case, I found out that she'd decided that if you couldn't prove yourself as a Viking in dragon training, the next heir would be Snotlout, but only if he can start showing leadership skills before he becomes an adult. Hiccup, Snotlout isn't a leader, and I'm sorry, but you're not going to do very well in dragon training because you can't fight at all and we both know it." She looked apologetic about basically insulting me, but I didn't take it as an insult. I can't fight. But in dragon training, I'm all but certain now that I won't need to. She took a breath and continued. "The next person in line to take over the village is me. Not only do I have to worry about Dragon Training, but if I become the village Chief I'll have to settle disputes, run dragon raids, marry couples and EVERYTHING ELSE that goes along with being a chief. I'll be expected to do all of this AND have a family of my own! Plus I'd have to carry our generation because NONE OF MY PEERS CAN FIGHT! Hiccup, I'm not a leader! I'm a fighter! I can't do this and I have no one to turn to for help!" She honestly seemed to believe that all of these problems were going to fall to her. She really thought that she was going to have to face all of this alone? I'd been afraid of the concept of inheriting my dad's job for years, but she wasn't just afraid of that. She was also convinced she would be the only successful warrior of our generation, meaning she was preparing to take the entire weight of Berk on her shoulders without realizing it wasn't necessary. I needed to calm her down, and wincing at what might happen, I grabbed her hand in mine and looked her in the eyes.

"Astrid, please, settle down. You won't have to do this alone, and I doubt you'll have to be chief of the village. I have a 'guy' in the woods, remember? I'm learning. Mark my words, dragon training will not be what you're thinking once I gather my bearings and start using what I've been taught in a real situation." I said it with as much determination and focus as I possibly could. Truthfully, I had my own doubts about my odds, but that was for me to worry about, not her. I tried to act strong, to ease her mind, though I didn't quite think it would work. To my slight surprise and relief, it did. She seemed to calm down immediately, looking me in the eyes again.

"Honestly? Your training is going that well?" She sounded almost impressed and a lot less worried, though she still looked it. "What weapons do you use? Oh! What weak spots to Dragons have? And can I meet this old hermit of yours, finally, please?" She had barraged me with questions. I held up a hand to her, a small smile on my face.

"Astrid, like I said, I can't show you him unless I know I can trust you. Because... Well..." I searched for a reason. I couldn't tell her the truth, since I knew she wouldn't believe me. Either that, or she'd run off immediately. Suddenly, I thought of a decent story to feed her. "Astrid, the guy's... Old, and he's... my best friend. My only friend in seven years, actually. But he's... Also... Also an Outcast. If I tell you where he is and you backstab me, the village will go to where he's hiding and kill him, and It'll be like my mother dying all over agai-" Astrid hugged me. I froze.

"Hiccup," she choked out. It sounded like she was crying again. "I'm so sorry I told you I hated you that day. I'm sorry I ever even thought it. I didn't even remember it was the day your mom died." Her grip on me tightened. If not for my ribcage my heart would have probably fired straight out of my chest. I just hope she can't tell. "So, so sorry. And I'm sorry for ignoring you all these years. I never made fun of you because I felt terrible for you, but I... I wasn't strong enough to stand up for you. I've never hated you, Hiccup. I just wish you weren't so weak and prone to making mistakes. But if I had been there..." I wrapped my hands around her back. She couldn't blame herself for my mistakes. They're mine, dammit. They made me who I am, and for once I'd realized I kinda liked that.

"Astrid, I'm still Hiccup. Even if the two of us had remained friends for the last seven years, I'd still be the village screw-up because the only way I know how to fight dragons is with my contraptions, and their misfirings were all my fault. And partially the village's fault, because if dad and the rest of them had just let me test those things in the forest first, I could've ironed out the kinks... But that's not important. I got rid of all of those contraptions. I burned their blueprints. I don't need those weapons. All I need is my brain, and to be me. And I wouldn't know that without Toothless." I winced. I hope she'd take it as a believable name; I hadn't planned on dropping it so soon. I let go of her as she let go of me. She looked me in the eye with a raised brow.

"Toothless? Your mentor's name is... Toothless?" She grinned, and then started laughing. Gods, I felt so happy to hear that sound. It was so much better than her being angry.

"Heh, yeah, weird name, but he's deadly, I assure you." She actually smiled at me. I hadn't seen a legitimate smile on her face for years.

"When... When can I meet him? I swear I won't tell the village since he's an Outcast. I mean it. And I'll leave my axe at home." She looked excited about the prospect, but I still had a twinge of doubt on my mind. But I had an idea, and a good one, at that.

"Look, lets go back to the village and grab something to eat at the Meade Hall. I've got to pick something up from my house, and then I'll go down and ask Toothless for permission. I'll meet you at the torches in the town's square at ten o'clock tonight to tell you his answer. If he says yes, we'll go meet him. If not, well, I'll keep asking him until he says yes. But in that case it might not be for a few days. Is that alright with you?" I put my hand on her shoulder pad. Not looking at me, she nodded.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll drop my axe off at home and meet you at the Meade Hall for dinner with the others. After that I'll be waiting by the torches at ten. I hope he says yes." With that, she stood up and reached out a hand, to which I assume was to pick up her axe. But when she stopped and looked at me, I realized she was offering to help me up, which I took. After pulling me to my feet, she grabbed her axe and heaved it over her shoulder. "Come on, lets get going. It's already dark and getting darker, so we'll probably have some problems navigating the forest if we don't get moving." I laughed.

"Astrid, I've been basically living with Toothless since my dad left for Helheim's gate. Plus I've been wandering these forests alone since I was a kid. I could get back to Berk with my eyes closed." She looked at me, almost astonished. We started heading back.

"You've been living in the forest with this guy for over a month? You trust him that much?" She sounded surprised. "I mean, if he's an Outcast, he must've done something horrible, right? how do you know you can trust him?" This seemed like a good way to start easing her into the idea that she might be wrong about her assumptions.

"Just because he's an Outcast doesn't mean he's a bad person. And we don't talk about why everyone in Berk would want to kill him if they saw him, because it doesn't matter. I'd trust Toothless with my life, and I do, every day. He's even saved it a few times." I thought back to our first few flying lessons, and how I'd almost fallen off of Toothless to my death on more than one occasion. Every time, he caught me.

"He really must be your best friend, then..." Her voice trailed off. I knew where this was going.

"Astrid, stop feeling guilty. You can't change the past, you can only make the future better. You're strong, fierce and determined. Not all... This." I pointed at her.

"You just gestured to all of me." Huh, so that's what it's like.

"Yes, I did. now, if the person you were a few weeks ago could see you now, what would she say?" I waited for her response. A small smile crossed her face.

"She'd punch me in the jaw and tell me to buck up." There we go. Astrid was finally getting back to normal just as we'd reached the village. "I'm gonna drop off my axe. I'll see you in the hall." I nodded and turned toward my house.

"Alright. I'll see you in a few minutes, Astrid." I spoke as I began to walk away, but she grabbed my shoulder before I was out of arm's reach. Apparently she had something more to say.

"And Hiccup?" She moved her bangs from in front of her left eye. She smiled at me. "Thank you. Really. I needed that." With those words, she gave me an even wider smile and ran off. I stumbled lightly, making my way up the steps to my house. Once inside, I fought the urge to fall to the ground again, sprinted up the stairs, stashed my third journal and grabbed a fresh book. I jotted down which panel the journals were hidden beneath, stuffed the book in my bearskin vest and ran out the door to the Meade Hall for dinner. As I headed to eat, I couldn't help but hope that Astrid would stick to her word when she finds out that Toothless isn't actually a hermit, or an Outcast. Because if not, and this stupid idea falls apart, I'd be shipped off as an Outcast myself.

* * *

**A/N:** _Thanks to Ferdoos for error fixes._


	7. Gaining an Ally

**A/N:** _I would've had this up earlier, but I had to read it a dozen or so times to iron everything out the way I wanted it._

_PS: I hope you like text._

* * *

It's a funny thing. I might have felt a bit off about cheating Gobber like I had, but I still couldn't help but smirk at the scowl he had on his face as we sat there, eating. My father still hadn't returned, and as long as he's still as far from Berk as I know he is, then Gobber has to honor my bet. He was none too pleased they still hadn't come back, but he hadn't given up hope.

"Wipe tha' smirk off yer face, boy. You'll be cleanin' me undies this time tomorrow, an' ya know it." I just smiled a little more, then looked at him.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure. A little blackbird told me they hit the bulk of that storm we had last night." Gobber just looked at me and scowled.

"Some li'l storm ain' gonna stop a boatfulla Vikings, laddie." I just shrugged at him in response.

"We'll see. Anyway, I'm gonna get going. See you all tomorrow." I stood, glancing at Astrid, who was now looking directly at me. I nodded lightly, scanned my eyes over the rest of them and laid them on Gobber. "Keep the forge warm for me, won't you?" I patted him on the back as I walked by. I knew I was pushing this newfound courage of mine a bit far, and I still felt really strange doing it, but I couldn't help myself. The look on Gobber's face when I made the comment was priceless: eyes wide, staring at nothing, mouth slightly agape. I might even try drawing it later. Walking out of the Meade Hall, I noticed no one nearby and immediately made for the woods. When I was far enough in where I knew no one would see me, I started sprinting to the Cove.

An average walk to Toothless Cove from the back door of my house takes about a half an hour. Sprinting there the entire way, though, only takes about ten minutes. And I usually can't go for more than a few minutes before I had to slow down. This time, though, I managed to run the entire way there, down the main path, one I was very familiar with.

Jumping down into the bottom of the cove, I decided to take a seat on the ground to catch my breath. Choosing a comfortable looking patch of grass and collapsing into it, I panted hard and stared at the stars peeking through the overcast sky. It'd been like that all day, I'd noticed, as I had been tying to think of ANYTHING to forget the burning ache in my chest. I wanted as much time as possible to talk to Toothless about everything, but it was already eight. If I wanted to keep my word to Astrid, I only had an hour and a half to convince Toothless to meet her.

As though he could read my mind, Toothless appeared and licked my face, per usual. I didn't bother to wash the slobber off; I was too overloaded. Then I noticed Toothless spread his wings and start pumping them, but without enough force to cause him to lift off. Suddenly, I began cooling down, a wonderful sensation on my overheated body. A few minutes later I managed to pull myself to my feet and stumble over to the lake, dunking my head in to clean it off. I shook it heavily in the clear water, cooling myself even more. I pulled my head out and let the water in my hair pour down my clothes, soaking my shirt and vest. I immediately made my way over to the fire pit, threw on some logs and hung up my vest and pulled off my boots, dropping them by the dead fire pit. Without prompt, Toothless ignited the wood and looked at me just as I jumped into the lake. An action I immediately regretted, as the water was freezing. After climbing out, peeling off my soaked clothes and drying off, I threw on my spare clothes I had washed the other day and started talking to Toothless.

"So, bud. I have a proposal for you." He picked up his head and rumbled at me.

"_What is it, Hiccup?_" I recognized the noise that meant me again.

"Well, you see, Toothless, I ran into Astrid on my way back to the village. Some... Things happened that may or may not have involved her axe, but I managed to calm her down and actually talked to her for a while." Toothless cocked his head and looked at me.

"_So? What did she tell you?_" I was correct with my translation yet again. I really felt like I was getting the hang of Dragonese. I told Toothless everything, starting from the point just _after_ Astrid has pinned me to the tree with her axe at my throat. I figured that wouldn't be necessary for him to know.

"_So you want... bring her here?_" Still spotty on the translation, but I understood it enough.

"Yeah. She'll only have a dagger on her, and she promised me that she wouldn't tell anyone about you. The only problem is, like I said, she doesn't know you're a dragon. But she said she'd keep it a secret, and I want to believe her. Even if I become a master at Dragonese and can prove people wrong about dragons, this is going to be almost impossible to do without help. Not to mention even with proof there's little chance most anyone would believe me other than my... Group. If I'm going to get them on my side and teach them the truth about dragons, having her with me would be the surest way to do it." There was silence but for the crackling of the fire.

"_What if she betrays us?_" That I understood immediately. Toothless mentioned that term a lot when talking about my village.

"If I can't convince her, I'll be banished from the clan and you'll be killed. I'm sure we'll both want to avoid that, so if she manages to get away... We're going to leave. Then I'll have to figure something else out from there. But I hope it doesn't come to that." I shook my head. If this turns out to be a bad idea, I'll lose my clan. But if she does betray me, I'm not so sure I'd even care anymore. Shaking those thoughts from my head, I stood up and turned to look directly at Toothless.

"I have an idea, though. My thinking is, I equip our riding gear before I leave, and you hide when you hear us coming. I'll be easing her into the idea that my 'master' isn't quite what she's thinking, and when we actually get into the cove, I'll bring up the topic of you not being human. If she takes it well, we go for a long flight and have a very long conversation and then land down back here. What could possibly go wrong?" I slapped my hand to my forehead. This was such a stupid idea, but yet, here I am doing it.

"_This is a terrible idea._" Toothless face was expressionless, staring vapidly into the void.

"Yes, I know. But it doesn't matter what kind of plan we use. We can ease her into this as much as we want. It's still not going to change the fact that Vikings and Dragons have been viciously tearing each other apart for the last three hundred years." I stated simply. She'd think he was just a killer, and I needed her to think the exact opposite. Which gave me an idea that I knew Toothless wouldn't like. "Say, Toothless, there is something else you can do that might help..." I looked at him, a smirk on my face. He sat on his haunches and put on a stern look of disapproval, staring at me blankly.

"_I'm __**not**__ going to act like a kitten in front of her._" This I understood clearly, but I saw it coming, and I had a trump card.

"If we play the cute angle and it works, you get to make her eat half a fish. Come on, I know you did that to me that day just because you wanted to see if I'd actually do it." Toothless laughed heartily at this. He looked at me, and in the silence of the night there was a faint horn off in the distance.

The Meade Hall has a large glass window that bathes the interior in natural light. It also has a small room in the rafters accessible by ladder that contains a horn that's blown every hour from six in the morning to midnight. We looked in the direction of the village, and then back at one another. It was nine o'clock, and since I wasn't planning on sprinting back to the village that meant we had only 30 minutes left. I would need most of that time to prepare Toothless, and we both knew it. He turned his head from the village back to me and grunted one word.

"_Deal._" I let out a breath of relief and smiled a little at him, grateful he'd accepted this in such short notice.

"Alright. I'll give you another brush down and then I'll put on your gear. How does that sound?" Toothless's ears perked up at this comment and he started acting like, well, a kitten at the idea. It made me wonder how old Toothless really was. Quickly pulling out the gear and brush, getting to work, I asked Toothless this new question.

"Toothless, just how old are you, anyway? And... How long do dragons normally live?" This, I was actually afraid of. Would I lose my best friend early in my life? Would he have to live for a long time without me? He purred happily, cutting through my worried thoughts with something I clearly understood.

"_Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere._" He simple statement was reassuring enough, considering I won't reliably be able to talk to him about it until I have a better grasp on Dragonese. Then again, I'd apparently been unconsciously translating the language for a while now, so maybe it'll happen sooner than later.

* * *

Nearly an hour later, I was standing at the forest's edge, just far enough out of town to be relatively unnoticeable, but close enough to see the torches of the town square. I'd been here for the last ten minutes, mentally preparing myself for this event. However, no matter how I looked at it, it was bad. It was beginning to remind me of getting tied to a Thorforsaken tree, that's how amazing a 'plan' it really was. Still, I had to do something, and this was the best thing I had to work with. I gave out a sigh, turning my attention back to my newest journal in which I was writing about Dragonese. I had a good feeling that Toothless and I were about to break this language barrier completely, giving me access to a much larger range of information. During those notes I occasionally drew a bit more of Astrid and I riding Toothless, a picture that had graced every single journal I'd written in so far. Glancing back up, I noticed her standing under one of the torches, waiting for me. I closed my journal and locked it in place on my rider's vest. Standing, I stood tall and made my way over to her.

"Astrid!" I whispered loudly, walking up to her. She took a quick look at me and raised her eyebrows. She looked as though she might start laughing.

"Hiccup..." She began, obviously fighting a grin and a chuckle. "What are you wearing that thing for?" I'd be a little mad at her for laughing at me if she didn't look so cute like that. Gods I am weak.

"It's... Training gear. At least, its use will be obvious later. Now come on, lets go. I don't want anyone following us." She nodded and quickly followed me into the woods.

* * *

I decided to take a more indirect route to the cove, just in case someone had tried to follow us. Astrid said nothing, though, so I had a feeling we really were alone. We'd also been walking for five minutes in dead silence, the only sound being the 10 o'clock horn sounding off as we entered the trees. Tensely, Astrid spoke.

"So, this Toothless guy... is he really that good?" I smiled a little at the comment, since it meant she was just as ready to talk about this as I was. However, I most certainly had a much different reason for wanting to.

"Oh yeah. He's the best. I've never met anyone like him." I talked casually about the dragon, trying very hard to not let my nerves get the best of me.

"I see. So, do you think he might be able to teach me?" I nodded as the thought 'you have no idea' passed my mind.

"I hope so. You see, he's taught me so much, and I just want you to understand him, as well." With that, Astrid gave no immediate response.

"Well," Astrid piped up, after several more moments of silence, "hopefully he will." She looked at me. "So, what can you tell me about him? What weapons has he taught you to use?" I smiled at her.

"Only one. My brain." I responded, looking back at her. She looked at me questioningly. "Toothless hasn't taught me how to fight. He's taught me how to not need to fight. He's quite certainly opened my eyes about all... This." I gestured to myself. "But he has also helped me with my focus, speed, balance, and reaction time. The rest has to come from me." She looked at me, astonished.

"So he gave you the tools you needed without directly telling you what to do? He must be good." She looked up through the tree branches to the stars, still just barely visible through the overcast sky. It looked like it might rain again. "Ugh. Damn clouds. You know, I've never really mentioned it, but I like looking at the stars. Calms me down when I can't sleep."

"Really?" I laughed a little, and I notice her smile at it. "The tough and ruthless Astrid likes to stargaze? what made you bring that up?" I asked in earnest.

"Well, you're in that goofy looking outfit, and for some reason it made me wanna tell you something about myself. That vest is personal to you, and if you're showing it to me, then I feel like I should let you in on something about me. It's only fair." I smiled quite a bit at that. I didn't know I could ever have an effect like that on Astrid.

"And Toothless. We can't forget about him, either. He's my closest companion, and I've never let anyone else in on his existence. But I'm trusting you here, Astrid. You gave me your word that you wouldn't tell the village about him and I know you can be true to it. But please, Astrid, please don't make me regret this. This is the most important thing in the world to me. I would do anything for Toothless. I don't want to have to worry about him getting hurt." Her expression went from blank to concerned, then inquisitive.

"Hiccup... Just who is this Toothless, anyway? Why is he so important to you?" She stared me down. We were closing in on the entrance to the Cove, and sooner than I'd like I'd be introducing my best friend, who is a dragon, to the girl of my dreams, who hates dragons. This is a thing, and it's happening. On top of that she's expecting an answer and my brain didn't want to work, so my mouth took over.

"He's not an old hermit. He's... Not at all what you're expecting."

"Don't you mean 'who I'm expecting'?" I didn't bother to look at her.

"No." She looked at me questioningly, again, but I just gestured forward to a hole in the rock wall in front of us. We walked through it, and when we came out on the other side, we just stood there. The Cove was being bathed in a slight silver glow from the full moon every time the clouds overhead parted enough to let it shine through.

"It's beautiful." Astrid stated next to me. And really, it was. I led her down the rock formation to the ground and through two rocks who were, until just before I left, very snugly holding a shield. A shield that was now a pile of ashes on my smoldering fire pit.

"This is Toothless Cove, Astrid. This is where Toothless and I have lived for the last month, learning about one another, studying each other, and eventually becoming very close companions." I turned to look at her. She was looking around for Toothless, and looked almost scared. She looked at me.

"Hiccup, you're talking like this Toothless is some sort of animal." I could tell she was making some connections. I was just curious if her thoughts would lead her back to a month ago. Unspeaking, I just keep looking at her, and she gulped. "Hiccup, Toothless isn't human, is he?" I grinned. Very bright, that one.

"...No, He isn't. He also isn't dangerous. And he's as playful as a kitten." She stared at me, wide-eyed. She'd figured it out, hadn't she?

"...You really did shoot that N-Night Fury down during the last raid... Didn't you?" She looked like she might pass out. I gave her a warm smile before I answered, hoping it might help the situation.

"Yes. I know, Astrid, this sounds crazy. But you promised me you wouldn't tell anyone about him, and like I said, I believed you. I trusted you. Now please, trust me, Astrid. You have no idea what it's like. Let me show you... Please, Astrid." Standing ahead of her, just in front of a boulder blocking the view of the lake, I held out my hand, beckoning her to walk to me. Begging her to hear me out. I didn't think she was listening at this point, my worry evident on my face.

"Have... Have you flown on him?" The question seemed almost hopeful, which made my eyes widen, if only just. Would she come with me?

"I have been for weeks now." She kept looking at me. "If you want, you can wear the harness. So you don't fall off. But it's not really necessary. He won't let you fall off. Just trust us." I kept my hand held out.

Astrid stared at me. She closed her eyes, shook her head and breathed out, hard. She put a foot forward. "Only you, Hiccup. Only someone like you would be this stupid. Let me... Let me see him." She finished speaking, standing right in front of me. I smiled.

"You're basically looking at him already. Toothless? This is Astrid, my friend." Behind me, on the boulder I was leaning against, came a distinctly happy rumble. Toothless opened his bright yellow-green eyes and focused them directly at Astrid, pupils dilated. From the look she was giving to the area just above me, I had a feeling it was an eerie sight, eyes seemingly just floating in the darkness, Toothless's body disguised by the night. Astrid stepped back in shock so quickly she fell backwards, but she didn't get up to run. She just stared at him. Without looking back, I put my hand up. Toothless bumped it, purring even louder. I could feel it running down my arm.

"Hiccup, you're touching a dragon." I would have laughed if I wasn't still so afraid she was about to run off.

"I know. And like I said, he won't hurt you." I walked forward and held out my hand to help her up. She took it and stood, still not taking her eyes off of Toothless.

"It's a good thing I didn't bring my axe. Hiccup, you're absolutely insane. That is a dragon, Hiccup. A _Dragon_. You're trying to get me killed." I grabbed her hand again, trying to calm her.

"Astrid, my mother was killed by dragons. If I've managed to forgive them for that, there has to be a good reason to." I moved into her direct point of view, blocking her sight from Toothless. She looked right into my eyes.

"We're about to have a very long conversation, aren't we?" Astrid responded to me. I grinned and shook my head.

"Yes, but first I have to introduce you two officially. And remember: Don't touch your dagger, treat him with respect, and," I handed her a fish, "give him this. It's considered a peace offering from one dragon to another to share food." Food truces between dragons was a phenomenon I'd learned of from talking with Toothless, who was walking up next to me.

"_Don't tell her about the next part._" I tried hard not to smile. I knew I shouldn't be looking forward to this, but for some reason I kinda was. Now that I'd actually gone through with it, it seems more funny than disgusting, even if it was still disgusting. As I backed out of the way, she slowly approached Toothless, fish extended outward. As we agreed, he jumped over to her happily and took the fish with wide eyes, gently pulling it from her grasp with his gums and immediately slicing it in half with teeth sharper than any blade Gobber or I have ever forged. Licking his lips, Toothless retracted his teeth and gave Astrid a gummy smile and then bumped his head into her stomach playfully, like an overgrown dog. She was startled, but not frightened.

"Well, that explains the name... Toothless... Heh."

"Go ahead and put your hand on his head," I told her. She did so, and right when she did her eyes lit up. She must've felt exactly what I had been feeling earlier. The deep, happy rumble Toothless was giving off was extremely loud, and Astrid was blown away by it.

"This is... Actually amazing. But do you have any idea how many problems this is going to cause, Hiccup? This changes... Everything." I walked over to her and scratched Toothless' ear.

"I know. And I'm going to need your help. We need to convince the other teens that dragons aren't the enemy here. They're only a catalyst." Astrid looked at me.

"What do you mean by that?" She pulled her hand off of Toothless' snout, gently. I shook my head and replied.

"We'll have plenty of time for questions when we get into the air. Yes, we're going to fly. But first... Uh, well..."

"_On second thought, I really like this girl. She doesn't get the fish."_ I most CERTAINLY understood that entire sentence. I turned to Toothless, much to Astrid's surprise.

"What? You mean to tell me I had to take a bite out of half of a regurgitated fish and swallow it, but you're not gonna put her through the same thing?" Astrid was staring at me.

"_Yes. Because the way you look right now is funny._"

"Oh, that's wonderful. I'm a tool for your amusement. Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile." Toothless smacked me with his tail, lightly. Astrid was still staring, but I wasn't paying much attention to her at the moment.

"_Oh, lighten up, you hairless ape. I only give an offering back to my Bond-Brother, anyway."_ Bond-Brother? Confusion evident on my face, Toothless continued. "_It's an old dragon term to describe my Rider. And that would be you."_ Toothless and I stared at one another when Astrid finally spoke up.

"Hiccup, when the Hel are you doing? You're starting to worry me." I responded to her quickly, my voice now happy rather than confused. Bond-Brother. It has a better ring to it than just 'Rider.'

"Since I've started spending time with Toothless, I've begun to decode those grumbling sounds he makes. They're not just sounds, Astrid. They're words. And I'm learning how to understand them. I call it 'Dragonese,' and I'm pretty sure anyone can learn it. Right, Toothless?" He nodded to me, and Astrid just stared at the sight. Her eyes had remained unblinking since reaching the Cove. Suddenly, she snapped from her trance and put her foot down.

"Wait, no. You hold on just one second. We're gonna test this. Hiccup," Astrid pointed to me, "Cover your ears. I'm going to whisper something to Toothless and I wanna see if you can tell me what it is." Accepting her test, I covered my ears and waited for Astrid to tap my shoulder. She punched it, instead. I put my hands down, stopping to rub the arm she punched. Astrid smirked, looking at me.

"Oh, there's no way you're gonna guess this one, Hiccup." She looked to Toothless nervously. "So, Toothless, would you please tell Hiccup what I told you?" Something I'm never gonna guess, huh? I looked to Toothless, who was grinning at me.

"_She thinks you're kinda cute._" My eyes shot open wide and I hit the floor.

"YOU THINK I'M CUTE?!" I screamed in exclamation. Astrid turned red and covered her mouth. Toothless started laughing.

"I DID NOT TELL HIM THAT!" She screamed at me. I turned to Toothless, scowling.

"TOOTHLESS! This is supposed to be serious!" He just kept laughing. I almost couldn't stay mad at him. Almost.

"_I'm just having fun. Her favorite color is green and when she was a kid she wished she could have a pet Nadder."_ The first part sounded legitimate, but the second half absolutely confused me.

"A pet Nadder?" I looked at Astrid. "And your favorite color is green, by the way. But a pet Nadder? Really? I thought you'd always hated dragons." She didn't respond to my statement, she just stared.

"You... You can talk to dragons. Okay then." She looked to Toothless. "Okay. I'm gonna need some time... A lot of time to digest this. Now lets get this guy into the air before I regret it." I'd never seen someone looking both terrified and utterly excited at the same time. It was a strange combination.

"Well... Let's get on." I jumped on to Toothless's back, hooking myself in. I held out my hand to Astrid and waited for her to take it. Slowly, she did, but she jumped hard enough on to Toothless where my help wasn't really necessary. Once in the saddle, she put her arms around me, and despite myself locking up a little from the closeness, I could feel her shaking a little. I patted one of her hands in assurance. "It'll be okay. You'll be scared at first, but once you're over that, it's a pretty amazing feeling." She nodded against my back, saying nothing. I clicked my heel into place, and we launched into the air with the usual jump. Considering how she began screaming behind me, perhaps a gentler liftoff would've been preferable.

A few minutes after getting into the air, her screaming slowly transitioned to laughter. Once I'd heard that, I had Toothless take our speed up a notch and yelled at Astrid to hold on tight. We took a sharp dive and then shot straight up into the air. It was as though Astrid was responding in two different ways at once, both laughing and screaming. I could wholeheartedly understand the feeling, considering my usual reactions to our acrobatics. Banking to the right slightly, I heard Astrid laugh a little more, and then scream when Toothless and I almost immediately changed directing and shot skyward. We carved through the overcast skies, peaking over the clouds and basking in the silver glow of the full moon. The sky was dotted with stars, and like many nights while I'm out flying, you can see the northern lights in the distance. I could hear Astrid marveling at the sight around us as Toothless and I banked left and headed to just above Berk. We dipped back below the clouds.

"Is that really home?" I heard Astrid yell from behind me. "It looks so small. Like it's just a tiny model of the village." Thinking back to the first time I flew on Toothless, I grinned at her comparison.

"I said the exact same thing to Toothless when he and I first entered the skies. Successfully entered them, at least. It took a while before we got it down right." I laughed a bit at it now, since it felt so alien to think there was a time where I had difficulties flying with Toothless.

"What do you mean?" I heard her say. "It's a _Night Fury_, Hiccup. There's no way you could've had so many problems in the beginning." Her comment sent guilt coursing through my veins, though I knew I shouldn't be feeling it. With a sigh, I turned my head a bit to look at her.

"The night I shot Toothless down, the bola I fired at him ripped off his left tailfin. Without me, he can't fly." I said it blankly, and didn't hear anything from behind me for a few seconds. She tightened her grip around me just slightly for a moment and responded.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up, Hiccup, but there's so much I still don't know." She pulled her hands from around my waist, obviously very comfortable on Toothless at this point, and placed them on my shoulders.

"Well, then I suppose it's time to start talking. And to do that we'll need to be gliding a bit more slowly so the wind isn't so loud. Hang on." I clicked my heel forward, and with a slight lurch we were flying up over Berk and through the clouds. We crowned out of them and Toothless started gliding very slowly, enough for us to actually talk. Astrid returned her arms to my waist and rested her head on my shoulder, marveling yet again at the sight of the night sky.

"Yeah. Why don't you start from the beginning, Dragon Trainer?" I smiled, noticing my head slowly resting against hers; a movement I had nothing to do with. I sighed a bit again and began to speak.

* * *

Astrid pulled me closer as we soared through the night sky and suddenly I felt like I was filled with Meade. Shaking off the feeling to keep my focus on what we still had to talk about, I turned back to look at her.

"So, any questions? I mean, big ones?" I asked her.

"I don't think so, but it's still a lot to take in. Especially the whole you-talking-to-dragons thing. And how did you manage to learn an entire language in two days?" I laughed a bit, still not sure of how I'd done that, myself.

"I don't know, but maybe I'm just a fast learner. It would make being chief a lot easier."

"No kidding. But back on subject, Hiccup, the dragons do still raid us, even if you befriended one. Do you have any idea how we can stop that without fighting them?" I nodded, since I had a feeling I knew what the answer was already.

"I think I know why they raid us. And I don't think they do it willingly." Astrid sat in silence, so I continued. "Every time Toothless and I go near Helheim's Gate, there's a deep, distant rumbling sound that echoes out of it. The other Vikings don't notice it, but since I understand the language, I do. There's something there, Astrid. And it seems to terrify all dragons. Even Toothless." Toothless, begrudgingly, shook his head in agreement.

"How can you be so sure that's causing the raids, though?" Astrid did have a point, since I couldn't exactly prove anything without going to the nest myself. But we still had some evidence for it, regardless.

"No one in the village has ever noticed this, but I have, and for the longest time, it baffled me. The dragons we keep in the kill ring eat one, maybe two baskets of fish a day. Even the Nightmare, with its voracious appetite, can barely choke down three. But when we get raided, the dragons try to take anything they can get their claws on. Way more than they would actually need." I said, as we sailed over the mist of Helheim's Gate. Toothless banked slightly to the right as he headed for the nest that was perpetually shrouded in mist. "Astrid, if they're stealing that much food, and just from our one island, imagine how much they must gather from raiding our neighbors and hunting in the wild? I can't think of a single dragon in the handbook that would ever need to eat that much." Just as I finished my statement, a hole in Helheim's Gate appeared. A volcano was sticking out of its center, a wisp of smoke slowly billowing out of its top. Toothless immediately pulled us into a dive, despite my protests, and before we knew it we were right upon the volcano, passing through a massive crack in the side of it. As we navigated through the cavernous maze, I couldn't help but notice that dragons were literally everywhere, flying about us or lazing on the rocks of the path we were flying through. We entered the main chamber of the nest and the air turned horribly muggy and hot. Toothless landed us atop the highest spire we could find and hid behind a jagged rock sticking out of our landing platform. Looking about, I noticed dragons flying in with food, dropping their kills in a massive hole at the bottom of the nest. Astrid commented on how they weren't eating anything they brought in when suddenly Toothless and I both tensed up. We'd both heard the faint rumble Astrid had missed, and we knew what it meant. A very old looking Nightmare had just flown in and dropped what appeared to be a small, dead rabbit before struggling to fly out of the way. The entire volcano was filled with a thunderous noise as a giant, pock-marked reptilian head reached out of the depths and grabbed the nightmare in its jaws, capturing the largest dragon ever recorded in the Dragon Manual in a single massive gulp. Finished with its impromptu cannibalism, the queen swiveled one of its beady eyes toward us, and upon noticing Toothless, let our an angry howl.

"_A Night Fury and a human? You dare bring one of them here? YOU DARE COME HERE YOURSELF? IT'S A LEGEND. YOU'RE WASTING YOUR LIVES._" Barely escaping its massive jaws, we blasted out of the top of the volcano so quickly I had to squeeze my eyes shut again, my right hand absentmindedly grasping Astrid's left as hard as it could to make sure she was still there. For several minutes Toothless sped off like this, quickly rambling to me out of fear. We finally slowed down, high above the clouds again. I opened my eyes and just stared, slowly processing what I had just seen. It seemed so... Impossible. How could something that big even exist? Lost in this thought, I jumped a tad as Astrid mimicked my thoughts.

"Hiccup, how can something that big even... Exist?" Her grip around me loosened a little, but I could still feel her absentmindedly crushing my ribs. I was trying to calm my heart rate as I answered her.

"I'm not sure. But know this: that dragon has been doing this for a long time. Toothless has been explaining things to me since we left the volcano. Basically, the dragons call that the 'Red Death.' It uses a mating call to force other dragons to do its bidding. Apparently Night Furies are immune to the effects, and as Toothless assured me, it also doesn't work on humans who understand Dragonese. The thing lives for thousands of years and apparently it's the only one of its kind left. If we can manage to kill that dragon, we won't just end the war. We'll also gain the best allies a Viking could ask for." I rubbed Toothless's head. This was our fight, but we couldn't do it alone. With that in my mind, I continued. "Astrid, you can't understand Dragonese, but the Red Death mentioned a legend. Among dragons, there exists a tale that a human and a Night Fury will one day forge a bond and rise up an army of dragons and humans to crush the Red Death. Astrid, that legend exists because even the dragons know we have to work together to take this thing down. The dragons may be much stronger than we are, but we're smarter than them. Our strategy coupled with their firepower would be the only way to level a dragon that's so... Mountainous. It's a perfect pairing." I finished my thought just as we landed in the cove, both of us jumping down from Toothless. Astrid immediately turned to me.

"You're going to keep this quiet, aren't you? Because of him?" She said, as she gestured to Toothless. I was glad she already understood my opinion on the matter.

"Yes." My statement was blunt, to the point and surprisingly determined. Then again, I wouldn't risk my best friend for anything. "You said you'd keep him a secret, and I'm trusting you with that. Besides, you saw that thing. There's no point for our parents to go to the Dragon's Roost. It'd just be a slaughter. The only way we're getting rid of that thing is with the help of tamed dragons, which means we're going to have to get the other teens on our side on this. You know just as well as I do that the adults won't listen to us, but if we convince our peers, I can teach them all how to bond with the dragons of the kill ring." I stopped and yawned, stretching out and looking at the still overcast sky. "There's no point in worrying about it right now, though; It's far too late. What we need to do is get to sleep and regroup tomorrow." I looked to the east again and shrugged. "And by tomorrow I mean today, considering the Sun's starting to rise." She looked into the sky, and noticed the early morning twilight dawning above us. "Lets get back on Toothless. Since I'm sleeping here, I'll fly you back to the village before the sun peaks." I gestured back to the dragon, who was drinking out of the lake. She looked from him to me, smiling.

"Alright. But since we won't have any time for this when we get back to the village..." She pulled back quickly and punched me in the arm. Flinching(she always did have a hard right hook), I looked at her with a look of confusion on my face, which she replied to. "That was for having such little faith in me. I told you I'd keep him a secret, didn't I?" I scoffed in a joking manner.

"That was before you knew he was a dragon, so you can't exactly blame me for that, can you?" I asked, rubbing my arm. She grinned, and then grabbed me and pulled me over to Toothless. Scratching him appreciatively behind the ear, she hopped on and waited for me to join her. It was a beautiful sight. Smiling again, I jumped in the saddle and we took off, pulling a few stunts for Astrid's enjoyment before gliding up silently to her house. Toothless and I flew in slowly and he came to a running stop to avoid the telltale whooshing of wings. Astrid hopped off from behind me and looked up at me. She wore a mischievous look, but before I could ask what she was doing she grabbed me by my collar and kissed me, full on the lips, nearly dragging me off of Toothless in the process. After several of the most amazing seconds my blank brain had ever recalled, she backed away without saying anything, ran around to the front of her house and slipped inside in silence. I didn't quite remember the flight back to the Cove, or much of the moment preceding opening my journal, but I did remember Toothless laughing at me the entire time. Pushing his taunts from my mind(not that it was difficult to do, all things considered), I put charcoal to parchment and started writing so fast that my pencil snapped. I tossed it into the fire near the den and grabbed another one.

* * *

An hour and four pencils later, I'd filled the entire journal. Throwing it into the basket next to me, I stretched out and crawled over to Toothless's unfolded wings, as it proved to be the most comfortable place to sleep in this cave. Stretching out, I thought of something.

"Toothless, if the fish thing is supposed to be done only with the human you take as your rider, why did you give me one so early on? We barely knew one another." He lifted his head and purred at me.

"_Simple, Hiccup. It just felt right. I regretted it a little after letting you finally touch my snout, but I knew it was the right thing to do. It felt right, so I went with it."_ I understood his reasoning, since it was basically how I'd forged a relationship with him to begin with. I had another burning question to ask, though, so I opened my mouth again.

"Toothless, like I asked before... How long do Night Furies live?" I gave him a worried look. I didn't want either of us to be without the other. He gave me a comforting gaze and replied gently.

"_Dragons tend to live a bit longer than humans, maybe twenty years or so. I'm twenty myself, but that doesn't matter. You see, Hiccup, dragons can control their heart rates very closely; It helps when you need an extra boost to keep in the air. But such precise control also means we can bring them to a halt. My heart will stop beating when yours does; this I've already accepted."_ No words could describe the surge of gratitude I'd received from that statement. I wasn't going to write that in a journal, since it was too personal to keep anywhere but my mind. Curling up in his wings, I drifted off for a short nap before I knew I'd have to be up and at the Meade Hall again.

* * *

Lying in Toothless's wings, I brought my fingers up to my lips. I could still feel Astrid's on them, even hours after the fact. As I lied there, slowly rousing due to Toothless's low, rumbling yawning, I wondered if she felt the same remnants of my lips on hers as I did on mine. As I crawled from the den, I knew seeing her again might be a little awkward, but I didn't care, because I finally had an ally I knew I could count on.


	8. Time Alone

**A/N: **_The end is a little fluffy, but I was hoping to get a little of their relationship in as well as show some more details about themselves._

* * *

After crawling out of the den I cracked my neck and fingers. My entire body was aching still from all of the flying Toothless and I had been doing, and from the look he was giving me, he looked just as exhausted. As I made my way out of the cove, I told him to go back to sleep. Without hesitation, he grunted a happy farewell and curled up in a fire nest next to the lake, since he only slept in the den when I was with him. Which meant he probably wouldn't be sleeping there again.

I sighed as I made my way up out of the cove. It was already close to noon, and as such, lunch, but I was so tired I didn't really care about being late. We'd landed just before sunrise, and after an hour of furious writing in my journal that I currently had tucked in my vest, It was full. Every page had something to do with Astrid, the Red Death or Toothless, as well as calculations and schematics of ideas I had for Toothless's new saddle. With all of that writing, I'd only managed to get five hours of sleep before getting back up.

I was already late by nearly ten minutes again today, given barely enough time to trudge my way into the village and up the stairs to the Meade Hall. I pushed the door open slowly, sliding in again, when the door slammed shut on me a second time. Only this time, instead of with an intent to hurt, it was done lightly, apparently as a joke. I looked over and saw Astrid standing there, grinning at me, a very prominent blush on her face. The rest of the teens were over at their usual table, eating with Gobber. Snotlout was the only one who had noticed Astrid's playful greeting, and he looked very unhappy about it. Turning back to Astrid, I'd noticed that she looked as tired as I did even though she also appeared quite cheery. She looked at me, a smile still on her face, and asked about Toothless.

"Is that little blackbird of yours still sleeping? You look even more tired than I do." She said as she looked me over. I did appear as though I'd just rolled out of bed, and in truth, I basically had.

"I told him to lie back down after I left, which he did, happily. I almost passed out walking here, myself. My entire body is sore as Hel from all of the flying we've been doing." I quieted my speaking since we'd entered the hall and made my way to the kitchen area, grabbing some fish and a cup of milk. Astrid grabbed some chicken and some water, and upon returning to our group we sat across from one another at the table. "I only slept for five hours at best. After we got back I filled the rest of one of these books," I said, as I pulled open my bearskin and showed her my newest journal. "After that, I had a small conversation with Toothless before I passed out." I rubbed my eyes a little as Astrid began to talk.

"What is that thing, anyway, Hiccup?" She asked, motioning to my journal. She'd always seen me writing in it, as many people had, but no one had ever bothered to ask me explicitly what it contained. Until I met Toothless and began rediscovering the Astrid I knew as a child, no one had bothered asking much of anything about me at all.

"This?" I lowered my voice, though the other kids weren't really paying attention. "It's a Journal I keep my notes in. This is the fourth one I've started on in the last two days." She glared at me. "What? I take a lot of notes. And after last night my previous journal's filled to capacity..." She looked at me, blushing a little and smirking. I responded, quickly. "Uh, with, uh, you know... Just... With calculations, stories about Toothless, that kind of thing." I took another drink of my milk, the fish I was eating already half stripped of its flesh. I was considering going back for another, which was a rarity for me.

"...Can I see them? Hiccup? I mean, not... Immediately, but, I have seven years of mistakes to make up for, and that'd give me a head start. I know something like that is probably really personal to you, but I'd still like to see them some day, if you'd let me." She seemed so genuine with the statement, I'd seriously considered it until I recalled the drawings. Nearly all of them were of Astrid herself.

"Maybe... Maybe in a few weeks or so, when we know each other a little more. Like you said, there's.. A lot of personal information in those books." I glanced away, slightly embarrassed. "But anyway, we should move this topic along... " I gestured to Tuffnut, sitting on the other side of Gobber, who was stealing glances at the two of us. Snotlout was chewing on a turkey bone absentmindedly, a furious glare in his eyes, and for once it didn't really bother me. When I turned my head back to Astrid, I noticed a small scowl on her face, realizing she was trying to make the topic seem like it was entirely neutral.

"You know, Hiccup, you should go back and get more sleep when we're done here. You look exhausted, you know. I swear, can't you take care of yourself at all?" There was a twinge of false anger in her voice. She looked at our peers, mostly ignoring us now that she'd 'yelled' at me. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she continued. "And maybe I could go to the cove with you, since we have to work on that thing, still." We were whispering and being intentionally vague, but no one really bothered noticing what we were saying, anyway. Then I heard Gobber speak up.

"Ah, afternoon', Hiccup. Or should I say, mornin'?" I looked at Gobber, expecting him to be upset at my father's continued absence. He wasn't, though.

"You sure look happier today," I stated frankly.

"A course, Hiccup! Yer' Dad's comin' in taday! Real soon, too. My leg's achin', and tha' means they're comin' in soon, probly before the sun's halfway down th' skies! Ya should be mor' excited!" He said, slapping me on the back. "And ya should ge' ready yer cleanin' equipmen', boy. This ain' over yet." He was trying for some false confidence, I was certain. Gobber never could lie very well.

"You do realize you told me not last week that your leg was throbbing because it does randomly? What did you call it, a phantom pain? Like you can feel the leg even if it's gone?" Gobber's look faded a bit.

"Yah, Hiccup. But it's a sign, I'm sure o' it." He looked pleased with himself again, drinking out of his tankard-arm. "Also, I finally have a job for ya taday in tha' forge! Don' worry, it's not too much. I'm gonta be busy helpin' at the docks, preparin' for Stoick's arrival. While I'm doin' that, I've got a few weapons tha' need rebalancin' an' sharpenin'." He told me as he took another drink from his tankard of beer.

"Great. And how long will that take me to do, exactly? How many weapons are there to work on?" I was really hoping I could go back to the cove and curl up with Toothless until sundown, and then spend the night trying to figure out a way to convince the others sitting at this table(Gobber, Astrid and myself not included) that dragons were better as allies than enemies. I'd hoped Astrid would honor her suggestion to come with me, too, since Toothless's wings are warm, and large enough for two people, if they get close...

I pushed the thought from my mind as Gobber spoke again. "S' nothin' ya can't handle, boy. Jus' a few swords, rebalancin' a couple a spears, oh, an Astrid wants the works on her axe; that'll be the bulk o' yer time." I looked at her, and she had a blank look with a very small smile on her face. I had a feeling I wouldn't be alone in the forge that afternoon. I both enjoyed and feared the prospect.

"Well, I'm gettin' goin'. The res' o' ya relax an enjoy yer lunch," he looked at the group, and then to me, "or in Hiccup's case, brea'fast. An' don' go throwin' anythin'." He stood from the table and walked off. When the door shut, the twins turned to Astrid and I, a gleam in their eyes.

"Why are you two so tired today? Rollin' in the hay behind the barn last night?" Piped up Tuffnut. Ruff laughed and chimed in.

"I don't see any hay, but I did see them talking near the torches last night. Then they vanished." Ruff and Tuff were sniggering, Fishlegs looked uncomfortable (didn't he always?) and Snotlout looked angry. Well, angier.

"Hiccup and Astrid? Oh, that's rich." Tuff stated.

"She could do better." Was I really that bad a catch before I met Toothless?

"Ooh, maybe they went on a romantic moonlit walk!" Tuff piped up, though technically he was at least half-right.

"It was too cloudy to see the moon at all last night, shit-for-brains." Shot Ruff, causing me to grin a bit. She was right, but only if you were _beneath_ the clouds...

"Shut up, dragon-ass!" Screamed Tuff. I knew where this was heading, and I wasn't ready to deal with it right now. I hoped I could shed some reason on the situation and get them both to quit, or at least, take it somewhere else.

"You two do know you're twins, right? You're basically insulting yourselves," I chimed in. They both stopped arguing and looked at me, bewildered looks upon their faces. They looked back to one another for a moment, and then Ruff jumped across the table at Tuff, knocking him to the ground. I sighed as they started beating on each other. I turned to Fishlegs, between Tuffnut's empty seat and Astrid. He looked shocked, like he was about to be eaten by a Gronckle.

"So, what's wrong, Fishlegs? You look like you're staring Loki in the face." He snapped out of his daze and looked at me.

"Hiccup, if they land today, we've only got tomorrow free before Dragon Training officially begins. EVERYONE is stressed out about it, except you. How can you be so calm? You're the easiest target for them!" I was thankful to have a decent response to this, as all of my peers' eyes were on me, even Astrid's. But considering the events of the night before, I thought(and hoped) she'd been looking at me the entire time. I finished off the rest of my fish, hungrily, before speaking again.

"Simple," I said between chewing, "My Dad will be in the ring with us, or did you forget that? He won't let anything happen to us, and neither will Gobber. You're worrying over nothing." I finished off my milk. Apparently the other teens had forgotten that we'd have both the Chief of our clan and his best friend and fellow warrior with us. We wouldn't be unassisted, and the thought seemed to calm everyone at the table. The twins took their fight outside and after they'd gone, Fishlegs let out a nervous moan and followed them. I knew he was afraid of what was coming up because he was almost as poor a fighter as I was. I felt bad for him, but hopefully if my plan worked the way I was hoping it would, he won't have to worry about training. As I sat there contemplating Fishlegs's conundrum, I noticed Snotlout slide up to Astrid, trying to flirt with her. She tensed up in annoyance and a bit of anger, which only grew worse as he started speaking.

"Hey babe. We should go work out today, just the two of us? I've been working on my abs, if you wanna see 'em..." She honestly looked disgusted, and while that made me wildly happy, it almost made me feel a bit bad for Snotlout. Though, I wouldn't have these bandaged, scabby hands if not for him, so I didn't feel much guilt over it.

"Actually, Snotlout, no, I don't need to work on my abs. They already hurt a lot from some new routines I've been doing, which I'll hopefully be continuing," she looked directly at me for a split second, "as soon as possible." She couldn't get enough of me now. I felt pride growing in my chest, but then I felt it deflate. Did she only feel this way because I'd tamed a dragon? Is any of it because of who I actually was as a person?

"Yeah, well, if you ever need help, I'm the man for the job, and you know it. You know you can't stay away from this." He gestured to himself. Astrid smiled sarcastically.

"Actually, it isn't difficult at all to stay away from 'this,' because I can usually smell you before I see you." She turned to me after shooting him down for Thor knows how many times its been now and spoke, in a surprisingly harsh tone.

"Lets get to the forge and get this over with, Hiccup. My axe needs work, and I expect it done first. She gave me a glare, stood up, and left. Now I was really confused. Did she regret the kiss from last night? Gods, I hoped not. It was literally the most exhilarating thing I'd ever done, and now that I know what its like I can't stay away from the idea. If she'd regretted the kiss, then... Gods, I didn't even want to think about it. I stood up, bringing my plate over to a pile of dirty ones and trudged outside. I was immediately grabbed from the side and yanked behind a large boulder near the entrance of the Hall by none other than Astrid. She gave me a tight hug, pulling away quickly.

"Don't think too much at what I said in there, Hiccup. Snotlout's still crushing on me, and he'll probably be none too willing to train dragons with us if he thinks the girl he figured was always his was actually... Well, quickly gaining an appreciation for another kind of strength that she almost missed. And thank Thor I didn't." She glanced at me with a hint of glee on her face, the likes of which I'd almost never seen from her. "Lets hurry over to the forge and get your work done. I can sharpen the swords and my axe while you work on balancing the weaponry." She smiled at me, kissed me on the cheek and pulled me to the forge.

* * *

After a half an hour of pounding straight the bent steel of completely ruined swords and refinishing several handles for maces and axes, I began remembering that Gobber's grasp on a 'light' amount of work was very loose. This would've taken me until sundown if I didn't have help, but thankfully, Astrid's with me. As I was hammering away, she was over at the grinder, sharpening swords and doing a damn good job, at that. She only needed a little explanation about how to work the device before taking off, like she'd done it for years. Astrid was always so full of surprises.

"So, have you figured out any plans?" she said to me. In truth, while I had been thinking about ways of approaching the other teens, none of the angles I'd considered taking seemed like they would work. Astrid started sharpening her axe, finished with the swords. I corrected her technique slightly, but assured her she was doing an otherwise perfect job.

"Honestly, I think I'm going to have to talk to the dragons tonight in the kill ring, when no one is around. It's the only way I can get them to understand they can trust me." Still grinding away at her axe head, she looked up at me.

"And how do you plan on gaining the trust of these creatures without letting them out of their cages?" she demanded. "You know there's a constant sentry guarding the dragon kill ring that won't allow anyone but your father to open any dragons' cages at night." I'd realized this, but I wouldn't need to let the dragons out of their cages just to talk to them.

"I know, but they'll still let me in the ring if I ask, even if I can't open the cages. The dragons will be able to hear me through the doors, and since I can understand Dragonese, they might trust me. If not, the Legend of the Night Fury is my trump card, because apparently we're the first two humans to ever know about any kind of dragon lore since before the Red Death came." She flipped her hair out of her eyes, looking a little relieved at that statement.

"So you tell them you know of the story, and you tell them you've bonded with a Night Fury and you want them to play along in the ring until you can figure out how to get the other teens to bond with their dragons?" She asked me, putting a hand on her hip.

"Yeah, that's the gist of it. I want to start it tonight, when my father returns. That guard job isn't taken very seriously, considering so there's a good chance he might be pulled from duty to help unload the ships. Then we go in and find the Nadder's cage." I smirked at her.

Why the Nadder?" she looked at me, a knowing smile growing on her face.

"Because that's the dragon you'll be training." Her eyes widened, but other than that her face remained the same. I felt my heart jump at her surprise and wondered if there was any expression she could make that I wouldn't find beautiful. I knew I couldn't waste my time looking at her, so instead I went on to refinish a few axe and mace handles before pulling out a very specific handle. Without her noticing, I pulled Astrid's axe toward me on the workbench and ripped out the old, battered handle. I replaced it with one made of a finely polished hickory, wrapping the grip area firmly with a leather strap to give her more control over it. After I'd finished with it, I replaced it where Astrid had set on the workbench and started checking and replacing other handles.

* * *

Roughly two hours later, we'd finished, both even more exhausted than before. Astrid left the forge before I did, taking her axe and heading off to the woods to meet me later on. I'd left in another direction, heading to the docks to gather a basket's worth of fish from a trap I'd created for the things. The fish trapped in my one-way cage was decent enough to fill most of the basket. My haul over my shoulder, I made my way into the forest before anyone could notice me or the load I was carrying. I couldn't help but notice that constantly lugging all of this fish to Toothless had made the job seem menial in comparison to the way it had been before. I really was getting stronger thanks to the situation I was in. While I was lost in that thought, I heard a rustling behind me, turning only to see Astrid several inches from my face. I flinched a bit and stumbled back, but kept on my feet.

"That basket looks heavy for you. Want me to carry it?" she said, in a mocking voice. I gave her my usual sarcastic voice and shook my head a bit.

"Oh, come on, I'm not that weak. Besides, I've been doing this for a while now, even if Toothless can fish by himself. Feels like nothing at all." She looked at me, cockily.

"Alright, suit yourself. But you can't say I didn't offer you help. By the way," She put her axe out in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. I examined it again closely, noticing again how beautiful it'd turned out. It was fitting, really.

"I didn't say anything about the axe handle before, because I was really surprised you thought enough about it beforehand to consider making me a new one. With how little time you've spent in that forge over the past few days, I can't help but wonder how long you've been working on it." I put the basket down and turned to her, pulling the axe lightly from her grip. I weighed it in my palms.

"It took me three months to find the right cut of wood that felt like it would be perfect for your usage. I also chose a slightly longer handle, because you've gotten a bit taller and the handle needed to be adjusted accordingly. I've polished and worked at this thing for a while now, making sure it's perfect for you. I even decided to wrap the handle in a dark green leather strap. I dyed it this morning before I left for the Meade Hall." I rubbed my chin in my hand. "I think I've actually been working on perfecting that handle for four months, if you count the time I spent waiting for Trader Johann to find me the best cut of Hickory he could find back on the mainland." Astrid just stared at me, a soft, happy look on her face.

"You've been planning this, for me, for that long? Even... Even when I'd said I... Hated you?" I tried to put on a comforting smile as I slowly shook my head, raising my hand up to stop her from talking about it.

"Astrid, it's the past. I don't care about what happened back then as long as you and I get to stay close, like we are now." Smiling, she closed her eyes and lightly shook her head.

"Hiccup..." She punched me again, playfully, on the shoulder. "Again, this... Only you, Hiccup, would be this thoughtful about someone else. Someone that you barely knew, and... Still don't know much about at all, really..." She hugged me tightly, axe still in hand. She was careful to keep the blade away from us.

"It's alright, Astrid. You don't have to thank me for an axe handle. I saw a problem, and I fixed it. That's all." We kept walking, Astrid humming happily to some tune I'm sure she was just making up as she went along, Though I had to admit it sounded quite nice. I turned my eyes to her as she stopped, though. Without any real warning, she put up her hand to stop me from moving forward and then flung the newly sharpened axe at a nearby tree, burying the blade most of the way into the evergreen. I grunted in surprise at how deep the blade went before I opened my mouth.

"Wow, that's... You really did a good job sharpening that thing." She laughed a bit.

"Actually, I think it has to do with the handle. The throw just felt better. Thank you, Hiccup." She gave me a warm smile and a small hug before turning and trying to pry the axe from the tree. It took the both of us tugging at it to finally pull the axe out, the force of which threw us on the ground. She landed on top of me, but just laughed and pulled me to my feet after standing herself. With a grin I continued leading her to the cove.

"So, today's turning out to be quite a nice day, by Berk's standards," I said. In truth, it was beautiful outside. The temperature was well above freezing, and if it were just a few degrees warmer I probably would've shed my vest entirely. On our way to see Toothless, I took a detour and showed her where I'd shot him down originally, the bolas still lying on the ground. I made a mental note to bring those back to the forge and melt them down when Astrid put her hand on my shoulder.

"You were just trying to help, and besides, it's the past. If you can use that argument on me, then I can use it on you." I smiled, leaving the bolas where they were for the time being. I'd still be coming back for them, though; scrap metal is scrap metal, after all.

* * *

Astrid seemed really excited to meet Toothless during the day, and when he realized I was with company he trusted, he bounded over to her and licked her in the face, making her laugh in response.

"Toothless, is that like a dragon greeting, or something?" I wondered to my scaly companion.

"_No. I just like doing it because your kind apparently finds it cute and gross, and the reaction is usually pretty good."_ Toothless laughed as he licked her face again. I knew the dragon was mischievous, but now that I could speak with him I knew that most of the things he did were done in jest, just to see our reactions. I had no problem with that, since sometimes I'd do it myself. I went to my den and grabbed a rag, throwing it to Astrid. She wiped off her face and then washed it with water from the lake. Turning back to Toothless, she let out an audible gasp.

"Hiccup, you know... Toothless really is beautiful. Amazing, really. Now that I can actually see him, I can finally appreciate him in his entirety..." She walked over to me. "He reminds me of you, in a way." I didn't know what to say to that, and it was evident on my face.

"Huh? How exactly do you figure?" I wondered aloud. She wiped her bangs from over her eye and continued.

"Well, think about it. I'm finally seeing Toothless, really seeing him, for the first time. And he's nothing like what I was expecting, at all. And if you swapped out 'Toothless' for 'Hiccup' in what I just said, it's still just as true." I blushed, happily smiling at her for what she just said. After a tender moment of silence, she went to our den and looked at it.

"So this is where you two have been sleeping?" She peered inside the cave-turned-den, noticing most of the amenities for camping, including a quilt for Toothless and I to sleep on.

"Yeah. It looks a little cramped, but you don't really notice it when Toothless here wraps you up in his wings and purrs you to sleep." I smiled at her. She raised an eyebrow, an expression I'd been getting out of her a lot lately.

"You sleep wrapped in your dragon's wings?" She said it incredulously, as though she believed I'd make this particular part up about befriending a dragon. Smirking again, I replied.

"Yes, I do. It's warm, it's dark, and the rumbling he makes while he purrs is enough to put anyone into a deep, comfortable sleep." She looked at me, a mischievous look appearing on her features.

"Well, I'm tired, and I know you are. Mind if I crash in your den?" She pulled off her shoulder pads, hanging them near where I usually put my bearskin vest. I had Toothless start a fire and threw off my boots, leaving them just below my freshly hung bearskin. It might not need to dry, but it was nice to have a really warm vest to put back on in Berk's usual weather. As I stretched out, I noticed Astrid unbuckle her armored skirt and let it slide off of her. I knew she wore pants underneath it, but it was still neither something I was used to seeing, nor was it something my heart had been ready for. She hung her armor next to my bearskin, looked at me and smiled. "Wanna do some cuddling?" She said in a playful voice. My face turned crimson and my mind froze.

"Astri- uh, I, well, YES, OH, wa-wait, I, uh... Well, I mean, heh, it's, well- I mean it's not- Wait. What, uh, what is... What is this?" I finally managed to say, after stumbling through the beginnings of nearly a dozen different sentences. She looked at me and laughed. "A way to see you get all flustered. It's hilarious, Hiccup. I love seeing you freeze up like that." She stopped and leaned against the cove wall for a while, laughing in sync with Toothless at what she'd just done.

"No, Astrid. I mean, uh, what... What exactly, uh, are-" I had no idea how I wanted to phrase what I was trying to say, but I'd managed to piece together something that was at least semi-intelligible. "What... Is this?" Gesturing between the two of us. "What is it? Are we friends? What? I mean, I just... I'm not so sure about what's been going on, and I'm confused and I don't know wha-" She put two fingers on my lips, stopping me dead, mid-sentence. Having my attention and some quiet, she put her hand down.

"Hiccup, to be honest, what you just said is about all I can tell you about what this," she gestured to both of us, "is. I don't know you nearly well enough to justify being able to call you my friend, which is my fault, and I do really regret it. As for, well, us... I can't tell you. But I know what I feel, and I've never felt like this about someone. It's small, but something's there. Still, I think we should probably spend the time we have left getting to really know each other, first. The closer we are, the better our classes with the other teens will be." I nodded in agreement as a thought and example crossed my mind.

"I only work so well with Toothless because I can really trust him, and I can tell him anything. I'm going to need that same sense of trust from you before we can really tackle this." I looked at her, seriously. Her smile perked up a little.

"Well, I know of two scaly wings that would give us a lot of uninterrupted time to talk." I was locked in place by the concept, and noticing this, Toothless started laughing at me. Astrid almost... Giggled, and grabbed me, pulling me to the den. Toothless pulled us both down with his wings, shrouding us in complete darkness. His scales were cool to the touch until he blasted the fire pit alight, bathing the den and the three of us in the comforting firelight. We were both relaxingly warm and shrouded in darkness now, and while I couldn't see her, I heard Astrid begin speaking.

"You know, we could still take a quick nap now and talk about this later. In fact, I think that might be a better idea..." She went quiet for a moment, and when she spoke again her voice had a softer quality about it. "Last night, right after I went inside my house, I sat by the front door for about an hour wondering what 'us' means. I'm still not sure, because until very recently I'd been ignoring anything but fighting." I gulped.

"What do you-" I felt her kiss me, but this time I was more than ready for it. Immediately throwing my arms around her, I tried to put my last ten years of feelings into the motion. It seemed to work, because she pushed the kiss even further when she tried licking one of my lips. I understood what she was trying to do and obliged wholeheartedly. After several minutes of it, we finally parted. Before we could continue with anything else, though, Toothless interrupted our silent embrace.

"_That's as far as the two of you go when you're in my wings, got it?_" He said it with authority and a noticeable amount of hidden laughter.

"Yes, yes, bud. I don't think I could even _go_ further than that without total privacy, anyway. I'd die of nerves." I heard Astrid pipe up through the darkness.

"Toothless just said we can't go further than making out in his wings, didn't h-" what Astrid had just said and to whom she'd just said it to struck her, and she pushed away from me. Toothless opened his wings in response, and in the firelight I could see that the look on Astrid's face was a mix of terror and regret.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Hiccup. I didn't mean to do that, but this is all still new to me, and you know I'm more of a hit-it-with-an-axe type of girl, anyway... I kinda ruined the m-moment, though, didn't I?" She looked saddened about the situation. 'I'm just... Not used to this. I'm sorry." In my usual style, I gave her a warm smile and spoke calmly in return.

"Astrid... You're not acting like yourself again. Tell me, what did the last five minutes really tell yourself?" She looked at me, and then thought back.

"I... don't really remember. My mind was blank, and... Uh... Overjoyed, I guess." I could tell she was uncomfortable; most Vikings don't care to talk about their feelings. However, I wouldn't exactly qualify as a normal Viking.

"Astrid, it's okay. Really. You say it made you feel happy, right?"

"Happier than I've ever felt, actually," she admitted. And then she covered her face and shook her head.

"Astrid, if you're really going to help me, we're going to have to trust each other. And you have to trust I won't ridicule you for your feelings, so there's no reason to be embarrassed about ho-"

"It's not that," Astrid interrupted. She looked at me. "I'm just not... Used to all this yet. First the dragon, and now these feelings... I don't know what to do."

I looked at her. "Just go with it."

"Huh?"

"When Toothless and I were first flying together, I had a cheat sheet to control his tailfin. I almost lost it, and fell off of Toothless when I tried to reach for it. We began to fall out of the sky, being left with nearly no time to react once we'd reconnected. I didn't have any time to read the sheet while we were barreling toward the jagged beach on the southern end of the Island, so instinct kicked in and I just went with it. We sped through a series of overpasses, spires and rock walls, just barely avoiding hitting any one of them, and at a speed that would've killed us both if we had hit anything. We managed to get through it by a combination of instinct and trust." I patted Toothless on his side as I spoke. Astrid smiled a little and came back under Toothless's wing, wrapping her arms around me and holding on tight.

"I don't know what this means, yet, but I guess I can 'go with it' for a little while and see where it takes us. Besides, you're really comfy." Toothless snorted. "And you're really warm. Now get to sleep, you two. You're both exhausted, and so am I." I felt her snuggle into me a little, a sensation I was certain would stop my heart in its tracks. Considering my position, though, I knew that at least I'd die happy.

"Hey Hiccup?" she asked me after several seconds of silence. Looking at her as best I could, I spoke to her.

"What is it?"

"Those books you write in... They don't just have calculations and blueprints in them, do they?" I smiled in the darkness, even if she couldn't see. I had been wondering when this would come up.

"No, they don't. And yes, I can show you them if you really want. Just... Give me a little while on that one. It's really kinda, well... Personal, for me. They do go into depth about who I am as an individual, and all." She laughed again.

"That's fine, Hiccup. Now let's save the talking until after the nap. I'm tired." I agreed with her, pulling her close to me under Toothless's wing. In response, Toothless rolled his wings back up and heated the fire pit just outside of the den again. Warmed by the fire and Toothless's body, we cuddled closer. I felt her lips look for mine, and for a while we just lied there like that, blissfully enjoying one another's company.

"I could get used to this..." Astrid said as she began drifting off.

"Ditto." I mumbled. With that, I fell into the most comforting sleep I'd ever experienced.

* * *

**A/N:** _Thanks to user Ferdoos for helping with certain grammatical issues. If you happen to see any, throw me a line! I'll gladly thank you in the exit note._


	9. Perhaps Too Soon

**A/N:**_ I was not expecting this to reach sixteen pages in Word. Still, I hope it's to your liking._

_Enjoy Hiccup and Astrid's "holy crap that just happened" awkward chapter. And some bonding._

* * *

Perhaps 'just go with it' isn't always the best strategy.

"Hi." Astrid said, breaking the deafening silence between the two of us.

"Yeah... Hi. Sleep... Sleep well?" I responded as best I could.

"Y-Yeah. It was... It was alright. I mean, uh, it was, uh... Good." I sighed, since we were both stammering now. It was close to sundown when we woke, still holding one another. When I was wondering how awkward things might be in the Meade Hall after that kiss, only to find a playful but otherwise normal Astrid, I mellowed out a lot and things just went the way they normally did minus the shared secret between Astrid and I. This, however, was a much different situation. We'd essentially just spent the last few hours wrapped around one another like lovers, though neither of us had ever considered doing something so intimate. We also really didn't know each other that well at all, which made it all the more awkward dealing with these romantic undertones. She was always the aggressive Shieldmaiden who didn't care about romance and I was the loner who never had the chance to get close enough to someone to know anything about it. We were both completely taken off guard by that alien feeling of closeness and affection, and now that our defenses were no longer down, things were both tense and rather uncomfortable.

We crawled out of the den, and Toothless, knowing the situation didn't call for him, wandered over to the lake to play with some fish. Astrid and I just stood there for a while, not saying anything. I was back in my vest and boots and she had re-equipped her armor. After a few more seconds of watching Toothless with extreme intent, Astrid finally broke the silence.

"Hiccup? Look, I know that was, well, kinda... Much. For the both of us. Even if it was... Unreal, at the time." I noticed her trying to look at me out of the corner of her eye, but turned away immediately upon noticing me glancing back at her. I cleared my throat a little in the small silence than followed.

"Yeah. I can... Uh, well, I can understand... What you're... Getting at..." For some reason I started feeling a familiar tensing sensation in my chest. I fought the bubbling dread as Astrid tentatively spoke again.

"But.. Well, look, Hiccup, we're both close to adulthood, and these things... Happen, sometimes. Not to say it wasn't, uh, memorable, but I mean, maybe it'd be a good idea to, uh... To..." I knew what she was going to say and I didn't like it, but I knew she was right. I interrupted her to finish the sentence she couldn't find.

"To go a little slower? Probably distance ourselves from... Well, this," I gestured between the two of us again, "...Until we can figure out a solution to the Red Death problem? Then worry about it?" I really didn't want to pretend our time together didn't happen, but I knew there were more important things to deal with. I also know she'd really never been that great at handling her emotions and tended to let them get the better of her. Considering the last hours we'd spent together, I never realized just how **much** she could let them get the better of her. It made me recall everything she'd been through over the past day, all because of my actions. I considered the slew of feelings she's been dragged through, from before we were talking and to her finally meeting Toothless as well as the things that happened afterward.

She'd felt overworked for months, training without rest to prepare for a massive amount of work and a job as chief she didn't think she could handle; broke down(something I'd NEVER seen Astrid do) in front of me, a person she barely knew anymore, because I bothered to ask her about her feelings; she met, got close to and eventually flew on the back of a creature she was raised to hate; she was nearly eaten by a dragon no Viking could ever face alone, and probably a bunch of other things I'd been forgetting. I was the only constant in all of these experiences. She clung to me because I had been calm and she was so far out of her element that she didn't know what to do. Now, I'm asking her to take it a step further by having her assist me in secretly taming the dragons in the kill ring. On top of that, we have to figure out a way to convince our peers to help us. We're both overloaded, and Astrid's greatest weapon, her axe, isn't going to help her here. At the very least, I already had a dragon as an ally, and I can understand their language. Astrid, though? She was in utterly foreign territory. It made me wonder if this entire situation was because she just needed someone to calm her down in a way Vikings don't normally operate. Was I was only necessary because I was as different as the situation I'd put her in?

All of a sudden I didn't care that I'd gotten free forge access for the next week. My head was clouding again, and I felt cold inside. Glancing back to Astrid, I could only imagine how she felt, especially if she was just leading me on unintentionally. I really didn't want her beating herself up over it, since it was understandable. Vikings rarely talk feelings, and even less frequently talk about... Deeper... Feelings. But I'm not a Viking, so confiding in me was the most direct solution. And Astrid's always looked for the most direct solution. Shaking my mind from this whirlwind of thought, I decided to try and diffuse the situation so we could get going.

"Look, Astrid. A lot of things happened yesterday. A lot of things... Well, An extremely large amount of different things happened earlier today. It's okay if you're confused. I know I am. But at the time it felt right, so we went with it." I didn't want to say the next part, but I couldn't stop myself. We had more important things to discuss, and this was just delaying that. "It's not like it means anything really... significant. We were both overloaded and in the heat of the moment, so we took it out on each other in... A way neither of us were used t-"

"Hiccup." She cut me off immediately with a sharp statement of my voice. "Hiccup, it's not like we can act like... That... Didn't happen. But you're right. This isn't the time to be worrying about our personal lives. We can talk later about it, but right now the sun is setting and if you're correct that means your father's about to dock. We need to get going to the kill ring, and we need to do it now. Besides, I need to let this all sink in for a while." Nodding my head in agreement and swallowing the words I was about to speak, I turned to Toothless.

"Bud, we've gotta run. I'll see you l-" I stopped myself. With my father coming back at sunset, I probably wouldn't be seeing Toothless just a little later. "I'll probably see you tomorrow." Sighing, I stared directly into his eyes. He looked just as lost as we did.

"_I know, Hiccup. But you do have to get to that ring and talk to the dragons there. We can talk about everything that's happened the next time I see you. Also, don't worry too much about your friend. She looks like she regrets it all, but she's just confused. And so are you, so don't let it cloud your judgment."_ He turned around in a circle, making a new fire pit right where he usually did. "_Now get going. I'll be fine._" I knew he would be, but that still didn't help the feeling in my chest abate at all.

"I know, Toothless. Thank you. I'll see you when I see you." The determination and confidence I'd gained over the last few days was utterly wrecked at this point, but I knew we had a job to do, so I pushed forward out of the cove, trying to ignore everything going on in my head.

* * *

Toothless watched his Bond-Brother and his Bond-Brother's mate leave the area. He spoke out loud to no one in particular after he knew Hiccup was out of earshot.

"_Humans. Sometimes, I don't understand them at all. When a dragon finds another, they try to stake a claim. If its accepted, the two mate for life, experiencing it and learning about each other together. If its denied, they leave one another and think nothing of it. I'd assumed this was the same thing._" Pulling in another yawn, Toothless arched his back and warmed his bed back up a little. "_They'd obviously both expressed interest, and then claimed one another as their own. But after they woke up they wanted to act like it hadn't happened._" He let out a small sigh, little flames shooting out of his nostrils. "_Humans don't make any sense sometimes. Even my own rider can be confusing. I should talk to him about it later, especially if he's still as distraught over this the next time I see him. But right now I should just sleep. Without Hiccup here, there's really nothing to do._" Toothless curled up in his fire nest again, eyes drifting closed. However, after a few moments, they opened again. He looked back at the den, seeing it empty and cold.

After gathering some firewood himself, Toothless climbed into the den, lit the fire pit and fell into an uneasy rest, but not before pulling Hiccup's spare clothes near him.

* * *

The walk back from the Cove wasn't nearly as bad as waking up. We had a half-hour walk ahead of us, and I'm sure she knew just as well as I did that making the entire trek in silence would be worse than breaking it with speech. So as we left the cove, I piped up.

"So, about this plan," I started, "I think what we should do first is just get in the ring. I won't say anything at first. I'll just listen to them." I considered for a moment before continuing. "I'm not sure how aggressive these dragons are, or how they'll react to our presence, but I don't want them to know I can understand them until I can be sure they haven't lost it from being caged for so long. If they seem balanced, I'll let them know I'm listening." Astrid slowed for a moment to pull a burr off of her shirt, but then caught up to me, continuing the conversation.

"Then what are you going to do?" To be perfectly honest, I had no idea. But I didn't want her to know that.

"If the sentry is there, we'll just go in and play it by ear. If not, I'll have you sneak down to the dock and grab a few fish. Then..." I sighed. "We'll play it by ear. There's only so much planning you can do when it comes to dealing with untamed dragons; especially ones that spend their days either being beaten on or locked in complete darkness." Astrid put her hand on my shoulder. It was the first time we'd come in contact since waking back up, and it made me feel considerably reassured about this whole thing even if, like most of my plans, there was a lot of room for failure. At least I had her here to help me. She cleared her throat and spoke once more.

"So if you can convince them that you're not dangerous, where do we go from there?" She rubbed my shoulder a little before putting her hand back down. The spot she was rubbing still felt warm, though.

"If the sentry isn't there and this all goes the way I'm hoping it will, I'll open the Nadder's cage and officially introduce the two of you." She tensed up immediately at this statement. "Don't worry. I'll be there the entire time and I'm only going to do it if no one is watching and we know we can trust her. And to let her know that she can trust us, you'll be giving her a fish." Astrid still seemed very put-off by the entire idea, but I couldn't exactly blame her for it. A lifetime of being taught to hate and want to kill these creatures doesn't go away overnight for a Viking.

"Hiccup, on an unrelated note, how do you know the Nadder is a girl?" I heard her ask, still picking bits of burr from her shirt.

"Toothless. I had my suspicions the Gronckle was female, but that was really just a guess. But as it turns out, all of the dragons in the kill ring are female, which makes sense if you think about it. Have you ever seen a male Gronckle during any of the raids? They're almost twice the size as the one in our ring when they're fully grown." I rubbed my still slightly bruised arm absentmindedly while thinking. "Anyway, we need to talk to them. Let them know we plan on ending this war." I turned right in the near darkness of the forest, Astrid quickly changing direction to follow me. We came to another path after cutting through the brush, and followed it a short distance to a clearing that offered a nice view of the bridge leading to the kill ring off in the distance. I took a breath, looking at her again.

"You ready for this?" I asked, worry evident in my voice. Astrid turned to me, pale-faced and nervous.

"Barely. But we need to do this, and the first step to getting our classmates on our side with this is... Well, me." She gulped. "I'm not exactly happy about doing this without an axe, but that would only make things worse, anyway." She absentmindedly grabbed my hand, most likely to reassure herself. I didn't try to stop her. She took in a sharp breath and walked forward, still clasping my hand. "You know, we still have some walking left to do, and I want to clarify some things." She let go of my hand and looked at me, slowing a little. I didn't like where I thought she'd be going with her thought. Gulping, I replied.

"About?"

"About what happened earlier today." No. No, no, no, no. I could barely handle what we were trying to do right now. Throwing heartbreak into the mix would only make everything that much harder. I tried to think of a way out of the conversation when she spoke again.

"We went a bit far, but considering everything we've gone through in the past hours, I can understand it. But there is... Something, there, I'm sure of it. I've never been in a situation like that before, and I've never had to deal with all of these feelings. I'm used to fixing my problems with an axe, and I can't do that here. But I just wanted to let you know that what I said before we fell asleep was something I truly meant." I stopped, staring at her. She said a lot of things in our time at the cove, so I wasn't sure which one she was talking about. She smiled at my obliviousness.

"I really could get used to this," She gestured between the two of us, "but it's not going to happen overnight." She punched me on the shoulder, then hugged me. "Just give it some time. For me." I smiled as all of my worries abated. I'd do anything for her, even if she didn't know it.

"Alright." She grabbed my hand again and we walked to the bridge. Reaching it quickly, we walked across toward the Kill Ring. I started explaining to Astrid the proper things to do when first meeting a dragon, even if she'd already done it with Toothless.

"So remember. Maintain eye contact, stay out of its blind spot, treat it with respect and above all, let it know you mean it no harm. Then give it the fish as a peace offering." Astrid nodded her head, trying to look calm as she stared at the path ahead of us. She was still shaking, though, and it had nothing to do with the weather. I squeezed her hand gently in mine. "Astrid, you'll be fine. You're brave and you're confident. You don't need a weapon. Just don't let your nerves get the best of you. Nothing bad is going to happen." I rubbed the hand I was holding with my thumb as she turned to me.

"How can you be so certain about this?" she demanded, pulling her hand from mine again.

"Because I understand dragons. And I know you. I don't have a doubt in my mind you can pull this off."

"Yeah, Hiccup. You understand them. Not me. I can fight them easy enough, since I've tried when no one's watching during the raids. Until recently my only goal in life was to kill them." Her resolve was falling, and I knew it. "How can you be so sure I can do this?"

"Simple. I believe in you. I always have." I grabbed her hand again, squeezing it slightly. "And I always will. Now come on. We've got a job to do." Tentatively, she smiled at me again.

"Right."

* * *

Coming up to the entrance to the kill ring, we noticed no sentry in sight. After unlatching the first door to the ring, I hauled it open with the winch that was connected to it. Checking to make sure no one heard the gate opening, I used a second winch to haul open the main gate to the ring. I'd told Astrid to head to the docks and grab a few fish as I'd started this, specifically telling her not to grab any eels. Before she returned, I walked past the gates and stepped inside the kill Ring. It always looked huge, but I felt even smaller in here. It was eerily quiet, only the light sound of muffled breathing echoing through the darkness. Choosing a door at random out of the five available, I walked up to it. As I approached I heard a distinct growl coming from beyond the cage door. With a bit of concentration I noticed it drift from an unintelligible grumbling to into speech. A gravelly voice pierced the cold, silent twilight.

"_I take it its morning again?"_ I heard a dragon yawn similar to Toothless's yawn from behind the door. _"Think they'll feed us or try to kill us?"_ The voice came from the door ahead of me. After a brief moment of silence, another voice piped up, this one sounding a bit older and brash, from the cage immediately to my right. The largest cage of all, its double doors faced the gate to the kill ring.

"_It's not morning, you stupid flying rock. A Viking kid is in the ring for some reason, even though it's dark."_ The louder, growling voice boomed over the other dragon, forcing smoke lightly out through the crack where the two doors met. Then I heard another voice, not unlike the one coming from behind the door that was currently smoking, to my left. It almost sounded like an echo.

"_Would you two shut up already? We're trying to sleep in here."_

___"You might be trying to sleep, but I feel awake."_

_"Well, I don't, so we're sleeping. Got it?"_

I ignored those cages and walked up to the two to the right of the Nightmare's cage. I knocked on the left one, lightly.

"_Oh, what was that? A sound? Is it feeding time? Fish? Can I? Please? OH I hope we get to eat! Hungry!"_ The banter didn't end.

"_Great, the stupid male woke it up. And here I thought I'd finally get a chance to preen in silence."_ The far right cage held what I was looking for. I knew Nadders were naturally very vain creatures, but despite preferring to look clean and proper, they were still very deadly dragons. The Nadder's cage I was in front of went silent again, but after a few minutes of silence(minus the Terror, who was still running around yipping), I heard a growl of speech.

"_Is that boy still here?" _A bit slow and course a voice. I'd assumed that it was the voice of the Gronckle.

"_Yes, I can smell him. He smells like the beast that runs their village._" A huff of smoke escaped the Nightmare's cage, as it had earlier.

"_You don't think he's here to... Beat us, is he?"_ The Nadder sounded scared. "_I remember hearing stories from the last Nightmare they kept here that after the Beast caught one of the dragons that killed his life mate, he brought it to this ring and killed it with his bare hands while the thing begged him to stop. If only they could understand Dragonese..."_ This translation startled me. Dad really had gone berserk that night. I'd heard of it, but I didn't get to see the ring until the day after. The Nightmare he'd beaten was gone, but there was blood on every surface of the kill ring. Apparently he was beating it so hard he was tearing the thing apart. When he was done both of his hands had broken bones and the dragon's skull had been crushed. That day was the first day I was truly terrified of my father, even if I hadn't see him do it.

"_Like that would matter. If I had a life mate killed in front of me, I'd have done the same thing."_ The nightmare spoke again, the same growl in her manner of speaking.

"_You're... Defending a Viking?_" came the Gronckle.

"_I'm not siding with him. I just understand his rage. I feel the same of the Red Death killing my own life mate._" The nightmare actually sounded weak at this. I hadn't been speaking the entire time, listening to their diatribe in silence. The most saddening thing wasn't my father's rage. It was... For the Nightmare. She sounded absolutely depressed, and I didn't know what to say to console her. Luckily, the Nadder chimed in.

"_Well, look at it this way. Those stupid Viking kids will be 'training' with us soon. You can take it out on the winner."_ Apparently even the dragons knew the Nightmares were only released when it was their time to be slain by an upcoming Viking. But I didn't like the idea of this dragon taking her frustration of losing her 'life mate' out on Astrid.

"_You don't think he might be trying to sneak in early? I heard the Viking watching us leave a while ago, so I'm sure no one's near here at this hour other than this kid." _The Gronckle grumbled.

"_There was a female with him, but she ran off. She might come back, though._" The echoing growl of the Zippleback broke through the night in response to the Gronckle.

"_I really hope not," _spouted the Nadder, pecking at the door of her enclosure. "_They'll take me. There's a reason why the young Viking is still standing right out there. They'd better enjoy the fire I'm going to burn them to death with when this door opens."_ I decided, finally, to speak.

"Of course we're choosing you. My name is Hiccup, and Astrid, the girl I was with, went to go get you some fish as a peace offering. We don't plan on hurting any of you." All five cages, even the one with the terror constantly purring away, went completely dead silent. I couldn't help but smile at this. Knowing their language was really useful, and this was proof.

"_Did that Viking just respond to you, Nadder?_" The Zippleback was the first to talk again.

"Yes," I spoke first, "I did. I'm the only Viking on this island that can understand your language, and almost perfectly. I was taught by my best friend and Bond-Brother."

"_Bond-Brother? How do you know that term?_" demanded the Nightmare.

"Like I told you, I know it because I have a Bond-Brother. He's my best friend, and his name is Toothless. And he's a Night Fury." Silence again. Conveniently, Astrid returned at that exact moment, carrying a small bucket with half a dozen salmon in it. I took the smallest of the fish from her and walked over to the suddenly very noisy Terror. I bent down to the trap door she was scratching at and spoke.

"Hey, bud, I need to have a quiet conversation with the Nadder, so could you keep it down a little? I'll give you a fish in return." The Terror immediately squawked, loudly.

"_YESYESYESYESYESYESYESFISHPLE ASEI'LLBEQUIETJUSTFISHNOWEAT!_" I laughed a tad at this, and using the lever to unlock the terror's feeding door, I leant down and pushed it open a hair, just enough for her to see me. I reached the fish out to her, pushing the door open a little more so she could stick her head out.

"Here you go, girl. Take this back into your enclosure and enjoy it. But pay attention and please be quiet." The little Terror grabbed the fish and pulled back into its cage without a sound. I locked the door again and stood up, walking back to the entrance. Pulling down the gate, I walked back over to the Nadder's enclosure. "I'd like every dragon here to listen to what I'm about to say very closely, alright?" I waited for a response.

"_Yes." _It came, slowly but surely, from every enclosure in the ring. Relieved once again that night, I turned back to the Nadder's cage.

"Look, Nadder, I'm not a normal Viking. And even though my friend is, she's changed her mind about dragons. We're the only two people in this village who understand what's really going on here, and we want to put an end to it. We have a Night Fury with a Bond-Brother. Now we need allies, and we're starting with you and my friend, Astrid. From there, we need to convince the other kids going into Dragon Training that Vikings and Dragons are better allies than enemies. After that, I'll tell them about the Red Death, and what we need to do to finally be rid of it." The Nadder sat perfectly still, not making a sound in her cage. Neither did the Terror, true to her word. The Nightmare spoke up, though.

"_You're speaking of that Legend. You swear you were told of it by a Night Fury?"_ I laughed.

"I already told you, yes. Toothless is a Night Fury. He's my dragon and I'm his rider. We're Bond-Brothers, and I would do anything for him. And I want my friends to have the same kind of bonds with all of you. But right now, I'd like to ask you all to be quiet and listen, because it'll help you later on when I start introducing you to the others.

"_How can we trust you?"_ I heard the Gronckle speak up.

"What other options do you have? You can either believe me and try to help us end this pointless war so that no one else has to die, or you can rot in that cage until a Viking trainee finally murders you." I waited for a response, but received none. I continued. "Besides, there are no other weapons here other than the daggers Astrid and I carry and neither of us have shields. If I was planning on hurting any you, I wouldn't do a very good job of it. Besides, I know of the legend, and I can understand Dragonese. That should be proof enough." I took a breath. "The other trainees don't know any of this, just Astrid and I. But if you're willing to play along in training, I can hopefully start winning over my peers to my side of thinking. They're young, arrogant and a bit stupid, but they're not nearly as set in their ways as the other Vikings are, and they'll all be willing to fight to end this war, I'm sure of it. All I need out of you all is that you'll fight them, and make it look legitimate, but not actually harm them. But in the end, you have to let me 'win' these fights so I can gain their respect as a fighter. It's the only way I can get them to listen to the truth." Silence rang out in the ring again that night.

"_Do you really plan on fulfilling the legend? Do you truly mean to topple the Tyrant?"_ The echoing double-speak of the Zippleback crossed the ring again. I'd heard from Toothless that Zipplebacks often speak the same words with both heads in unison, but I didn't really think about how unnerving the result could be.

"Yes. I have to try to end this. That thing is eating us out of house and home. It's only a matter of time before it starts sending out dragons to grab the Vikings of my village as well as their food to satisfy its bottomless appetite, since I know it already eats you guys. I also don't want it to harm any more of you. Toothless has taught me a lot of things, and one of them is that dragons aren't our real enemies. We've been fighting the wrong war for the last three hundred years, and I plan on finally bringing it to an end, even if it kills me. I can't just sit around and do nothing while innocent humans and dragons are being mercilessly slain because of that tyrant." Silence entered the ring again.

"_Why should I want to befriend a human I don't trust and don't know anything about?"_ The Nadder squawked in reply.

"Simple. I bonded with Toothless before we knew each other at all. Well before I learned Dragonese. Back when I still blamed dragons for killing my mother. But I tried to gain his trust regardless. There was a burning desire to learn about him. And now we're nearly inseparable Bond-Brothers. And I want that kind of bond to happen with all dragons and Vikings. I want an end to this war. I want peace. And this is the first step. Its up to all of us to show the Vikings on this island that dragons aren't our real enemies here." The Nadder didn't respond immediately, which was a good thing, because after my little diatribe Astrid hugged me from behind. I'd effectively been temporarily seized in my ability to do anything but stand there. She rested her head on my shoulder and whispered to me.

"You're one of the bravest Vikings to ever grace this Island and you don't even know it." Astrid startled me with her speaking.

"What are you talking about? I've said it a thousand times and everyone knows it. I'm not a true V-"

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third," Astrid stated, quickly letting me go and spinning me around to look at her, a scowl on her face. "You're planning on training a group of kids no older than sixteen to bond with dragons in secret, knowing that getting caught would mean exile or even death. Then you want to take our group to the dragon's nest and slay the Red Death by yourself. If you aren't the bravest Viking I've ever met, then you're absolutely insane." I smiled.

"I think it's a little bit of both, then." I turned back to the Nadder's cage. "Look, Nadder, I'm not going to hurt you. I don't even have any weaponry on me other than a dagger, like I said. I only want to open this cage so you can start bonding with my friend." Her cage was silent for a moment before she chirped again in response.

'"_Can you get rid of the daggers? They still, I admit, frighten me a little."_ It was an understandable request, and I had no issues with honoring it.

"Of course." I took my dagger from my belt and handed it to Astrid. "Take this and your dagger and slide them under the exit gate. The dragons are still wary of any weapons, even if they're smaller than the quills of a Nadder's tail." Hesitating, she did as I'd asked her to and returned to stand next to me. "Alright, the daggers are gone. Will you consider it now? I think you'd make a good companion for my friend here." The Nadder squawked quietly and spoke again.

"_What makes you say that?_" She responded. I smiled a little, knowing I could play to her vanity to get her to listen.

"Simple. Nadders are known for their beauty, but they're also known for their intelligence, swiftness in battle, and their loyalty to their allies. You're tough and defend those you care about viciously, but you like to look good doing it. And my friend here," Astrid walked a bit in front of me when I said her name, "Is a lot like you. She's intelligent, proud and confident. One of the best fighters in our village, and she isn't even considered an adult yet. She's also..." I cringed at the embarrassing nature of my next point, considering the events of earlier that evening. "She's also absolutely beautiful, like you. I think you'd make a good pairing." Both the Nadder and Astrid went completely silent, and stealing a glance at Astrid proved she was blushing again. I'd only seen her blush a handful of times in my life, and every time it was because of something I'd said. Ignoring that thought in my head, I continued. "Look, I only want to open this door enough so you can come out and examine each other. No one's here, but I don't know how much time we have until the guard gets back so I'd like to at least try to start this bonding process. It's for the greater good, and I know you understand that. Besides, where would you rather die: in this ring at the hands of a trainee, or in the air, strategizing with your Bond-Sister, trying to slay the dragon that's been eating your kind and treating you all like slaves since it took over your home?" The Nadder sat in silence again that night. Then the Zippleback spoke again.

"_If you Vikings plan on doing anything then I'd suggest you do it quickly, because I can hear the Viking that's supposed to watch us coming back here. You've got maybe ten minutes._"

"Sh_e's right. I can hear him, as well._" The Nightmare spoke again. Hearing this, the Nadder sighed.

"_If I walk out of this door and either of you are still holding weapons, I'll kill you both. Now hurry up before I have time to regret this."_ Yes. This was it, but we had to hurry.

"Astrid, stand in front of the doors and hold out the fish you have left." I spoke to the Nadder, my hand on the lock to her cage. "I'm about to open your cage. We're completely unarmed. Astrid, the girl, has a few salmon for you. She just wants to be your friend." I looked over at Astrid, who looked deathly pale, but determined. We locked eyes, and she nodded. I pulled the lever. Slowly, with the door unlocked, the Nadder pushed it open, eyeing both of us. It stepped cautiously up to Astrid, reminding me of Toothless on the first day I gave him a fish back at the cove. Slowly, She tilted her head down to Astrid, staring at her intently. Astrid went even more pale, if it were possible, but didn't waver in her stance. She spoke to the Nadder.

"You really are gorgeous... And if you don't trust me at all, I can understand it, believe me. You can keep that eye on me if you want. I can move the fish to your blind spot, but stay out of it myself, so you can eat." The other eye of the Nadder swiveled around to me.

_"She's willing to stay in my line of sight and leave herself open entirely to attack? Maybe... Maybe trusting you isn't that bad an idea..."_ Internally, I started screaming in victory at her statement.

"Astrid, she trusts you enough to take the fish. But you'll have to hand them to her, since her head is a bit wide to fit in the bucket." Astrid still looked still terrified, but also as fiery and determined as I always knew she was. Hesitating briefly, she pulled out a salmon and held it to the Nadder's mouth. It sniffed the fish, and then slowly accepted it. Astrid continued this until the remaining five fish were missing from the bucket. Without prompt, she moved the bucket to her fish-slime covered left hand and, after a bit of hesitation, began to scratch the Nadder at its jaw line. She rumbled, and then chirped in approval. Astrid smiled a bit and laughed.

"You know, I don't think I could hold an axe against you if I tried now. I can't understand you, but I want you to know that when we're in training together, I'll try my best to avoid doing anything to really hurt you. Just enough to lead them on. Now please, go back into your cage. That guard could be here at any second, and we'll all be in a lot of trouble - even you - If we're seen like this." The Nadder shook its head in understanding, butted her snout lightly against Astrid's stomach and walked back into her enclosure. She pulled the doors shut herself, and I pulled the lever back up, locking the door shut again. I turned to look at the freshly relocked door, but spoke out to all of them.

"I'm really sorry I can't let you all out, but we're going to need you all to bond to a human so we can fight the Red Death. We also need to pretend this little meeting didn't happen, so the next time we meet, treat us like strangers. Just don't try to kill us and we'll do the same to you."

"_We'll keep our word if you keep yours. Now get going, the guard is coming back._" The Nadder sounded a lot friendlier with that comment. What came next, though, I did not expect. "_Also, tell that girl, Astrid, that I do like her, if only a little. I hope she's not lying. I hope we really can end this. Because if we do, then I might consider her as a potential Bond-Sister._"

* * *

We'd gotten out of the ring, gone not five seconds before the guard was back at his post. I knew that meant my father was home and unpacked, and that I had full forge access and privacy for a week, which made me smile again. Astrid was smiling, too, but for different reasons.

"Hiccup, that was absolutely amazing. She's amazing. I'd love to fly on her some day. And could you imagine if we can actually do this? If we destroy the Red Death? She could be free. I hope she'd stay with me..." Her voice trailed off, her face showing she was deep in a pleasant fantasy. I wanted to talk to her, though, so after giving her a few seconds to enjoy whatever she was thinking, I broke the silence.

'I don't think you have to worry. Right as we left, she said something to me." I smiled at her. "She likes you a little." Astrid's eyes lit up like a child's. It reminded me of her reaction to that secret she never expected Toothless to relay to me. "She also said something else." I was really excited to see her reaction to this point.

"Hmm?" I knew she was only half listening to me, her thoughts still on the Nadder.

"She said that if this really does happen and she and the other dragons are finally free, she might consider having you as a Bond-Sister. Like how Toothless and I are Bond-Brothers." She stopped in her tracks.

"RR-Really? Oh, that's..." She jumped at me, hugging me. Then she pinned me to a nearby wall, grinned, and shoved her lips on mine. I felt like I was riding Toothless through a spring afternoon until she let go a few seconds later. Then she punched me on the shoulder.

"OW! You know, that's starting to leave a bruise." I playfully chastised her, though I had a huge grin on my face.

"That's for saying you aren't a Viking." She punched me again, in the same spot. "And that's for whining about a tiny flesh wound." She punched me again, in the same place, harder than the last. Probably to save face with how 'girly' she was just acting. Then she turned and started walking away, looking back at me and laughing. I caught up to her.

"What was that last one for?" I was rubbing my shoulder slowly, but I was anything but hurt or upset.

"Because I can. Anyway, Hiccup, I've been gone all day and I really should be getting home. I'll see you tomorrow." She turned to leave, but I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Wait! You're breaking tradition!" I knew I was treading on hallowed ground with this, considering how strange our 'relationship' was. But being around dragons always seemed to give me a confidence boost, so I went for it.

"What are you talking about?" She turned to look at me.

"Well, normally it's violence, then affection with you. Not only did you get it backwards, but you punched me four times and I only got a hug and a kiss." She scowled at me. I had been just kidding, but with that comment I felt as though I may have crossed a line.

"Hey, just because I punch you doesn't mean you're entitled to anything, Fishbone," she sneered at me. I probably deserved that for my assumption. She punched me on the arm for what felt like the millionth time, and then did something that, in retrospect, I should've seen coming. She pulled me close and kissed me right by the town square. No one was around, but we were close to the heart of the village. That just seemed to make it better, even if it was kinda short.

"And... What was that... For?" I said in a daze.

"Making up for all of the punches. Either that or what you said. Tradition? That's why." She laughed and ran off. I just stood there, staring at her as she ran. My shoulder was throbbing, but I didn't really notice. I turned to walk, not thinking of where I was going. My mind raced back to the Red Death. If we can destroy that thing, Toothless might be allowed live here in the village with me. If I could have him with me and Astrid by my side, my life would be complete.

* * *

I had been wandering around the village, admiring all of the little things about it I'd never noticed, when someone punched me in the head from behind. Dazed and on the ground, I looked up to see Snotlout glancing down at me, an angry scowl on his face.

"I have to clean the barn and the chicken coops for a damn MONTH because of you, AFTER being forced to clean that entire Thorforsaken Hall." He grabbed me and picked me back up on my shaky legs, only to punch me in the face, sending me back to the ground.

"And STAY AWAY from Astrid. She's mine, and this entire town knows it. I don't know why she's hanging out with Hiccup the Useless, but don't let it give you any ideas." He kicked me in the ribs. "You're nothing. Go back to your forest and don't come back out." He stepped on my pained body and stamped off, but not before I responded.

"None of this would've happened in the first place if you could control your anger." I stood, slowly, body and head aching. I could feel blood dripping out of my nose and I probably had a black eye. "Also, Astrid is a person. She doesn't belong to anyone, and if she ever heard you say that about her she'd kick your ass, and you know it." I normally don't curse much, but I was tired, in a lot of pain and still reeling from that kiss. I was also extremely angry. "And quit acting like it's such a hassle having to clean up after the animals that feed us. I've been forced to do it more than once, and I've never... complained about it like you are." I bit back another curse and tried calming myself down. Snotlout came back and punched me in the stomach twice, knocking the wind out of me and making me hit the ground again. I suppose that's just what I get for standing up for myself.

"Just shut it, Useless. And none of this would've had to happen at all if you'd have just died instead of your mother." With that, he stormed off. Slowly pulling myself to my feet, I stumbled over to the forge nearby and used some of the supplies there to treat the cuts on my face from Snotlout's punches. I had two black eyes, as it turned out, and my nose kept dripping blood on the pages of my journal, which was almost full again. I made a mental note to get some more from the next trader that passed into the port as I grabbed some supplies from an aid cabinet in a corner of the forge. I applied a healing ointment to the cuts before bandaging them. I grabbed some cold steel ingots from my workshop storage area and held them to my bruises as Gobber walked in.

"Ah, nasty piece'a work ya got there." He looked me up and down. "I take it Snotlout ran into ya on 'is way home after gettin' his punishmen' from Stoick?" I let out a sarcastic grunt.

"You can say that again. I'm so sick of people beating on me." I grumbled. I put down the block of steel and picked up another, much colder one. I had a few sitting on a barrel just outside the receiving window to get them as cold as possible.

"Well, ya hafta stan' up fer yerself." He retorted.

"I did! That's what got me these bruises on my stomach." I pointed down to my torso, which had fist-shaped bruises growing on it. "Snotlout just hates me, and nothing's going to change that." I grunted angrily. "He's not just mad about the knife incident, though." I looked down at my hand. It was still bandaged, but it didn't hurt anymore. "He's also mad at me because Astrid was talking to me today, and he seems to think he owns her." Gobber rubbed his chin, looking into the air as I talked.

"Wel, it does make a lil sense if ya thin' abou' it. Good fighters make good fighter babies." I glared at him, only to receive a knowing grin in response. Smacking my forehead, I dragged my hand down my face and looked him in the eye.

"Can we talk about something else, please?" I asked, grabbing a colder block of steel and holding it to my bruises.

"Yeh, we can. As yeh know, yer father docked. An' I hafta give ya the forge fer a week..." He scowled. "But if ya burn i' down yer rebuildin' it yerself, ya' got me? Now for th' next week, ya can come in here at any time as long as I'm not busy usin' it. An' when ya do, no one's allowed in. Got it?" I nodded my head. He pulled off his oar-arm and swapped it out for his tankard. "Whacha even plannin' on doin' in here tha' ya need the secrecy for anyway, boy?" He looked at me sternly. I smirked.

"Well, there wouldn't be much of a reason to have full privacy if I have to tell you what I'm doing, now is there? Don't worry about it, though. It's just a personal project, nothing dangerous." He kept staring at me, not believing my claim. " I mean it. I don't build dragon fighting weapons anymore. I don't wan- ...I mean, I don't see... The point... When they never work." Gobber cocked his head a little at me and then shrugged.

"Suit yerself, then. I'm goin' home. I won' need the forge at all tomorra, so ya can hav it all day if yeh'd like." He scratched his rear with his tankard. "Jes' don' hurt yerself, don' build anymore o' those damn machines, an' for Thor's sake, keep tha smithy in one piece." He walked out, grumbling "I never shoulda... Terrible idea... Even Stoick told me I shouldn'ta dunnit... Not worth the risk..." He wandered out of sight.

"Well, at least he's gone." I said to myself in silence. Putting down the no longer cold steel, I pulled my bruised body off of the stool it was perched on and walked over to my tiny storage-room-turned-personal-workshop, lit the two candles on the workbench and pulled a large sketchbook out from behind the thing and opened it. Looking over the plans for Toothless's newer, lighter, more durable harness, I smiled again. The tail fin itself was especially genius of me, and I didn't feel bad that I'm boasting about it. I admired the plans for a while, wondering how Toothless would react to the finished product. I also wondered how Astrid would react to it as I closed the book, hid it, blew out my candles and left the forge. Walking through the cold, empty village, My mind wandered.

"I wonder how Toothless will take it, seeing a new tailfin made of his own scales." I considered it for a moment, and then spoke, again, to myself. "I wonder if he'd think it's gross, since it's basically made out of his own dead skin, but those scales are lighter and more durable than leather and also fireproof. I have a feeling that alone is going to help us against the Red Death." The thoughts carried me all the way to the house. I opened the door, not seeing my father anywhere in sight. I scurried up the stairs as quietly as possible, hoping he wouldn't hear it if he was actually in the house, and hid myself away in my room. Swapping out my journal for a new one and scribbling the hiding location in the corner, I took to drawing that image of Gobber's blank face for a while before I inevitably moved on to drawing Astrid and I riding Toothless. Only now, I had actual memories of it. And they were wonderful.

After a bit of drawing, I heard my father enter the house, loudly. I closed the journal and threw it in the drawer of my nightstand. Sleeping here wasn't nearly as comfortable as sleeping with Toothless near me, but I really didn't want to talk to my father since I really was tired. Plus, I had a lot of work to do in the forge tomorrow, so I needed the sleep. I could only hope Astrid might stop by, because even though 'full privacy' meant I'd get the forge to myself, it didn't mean I couldn't bring in someone who wasn't Gobber. Blowing out the candle on my nightstand, I curled up under my wool blanket. The thought of Astrid in my head battling the thought that Toothless was sleeping alone in the Cove without me lulled me into a relatively uneasy sleep.

* * *

**A/N:**_ I can do these down here, too. Next chapter's going to involve mainly Stoick and forge work. Also Snotlout's still being a dick. But I'm not entirely sure because it hasn't happened in my brain just yet._

_Thanks for reading it so far. And you can comment if you want, too._


	10. Forging the Future

**A/N:** _I didn't think this would be so damn long. We'll be getting to dragon training in the next chapter, though._

_Hope you enjoy this one. Hiccup's got a lot of work to do and a lot of things on his mind.  
_

* * *

I was still tired when I woke up the next morning. Looking out of my window, I noticed the sun just beginning to peek out over the trees of the forest near my house. Closing my eyes, I started drifting back to sleep, hoping to get in at least another hour before I made my way to Toothless, and then the forge.

"HICCUP!"

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Groggily, I pulled myself out of bed and stumbled to the door of my room. Opening it, I shuffled out to the small balcony overlooking the hearth of our house. Yawning, I noticed my father sitting down at the table next to the hearth, drinking out of a tankard and ripping the flesh off of the breast of a slightly burnt looking chicken. He never was much of a cook.

I yawned again, ambling down the stairs. Nearly halfway down to the main room of the house, my foot slipped on a step and I went tumbling backwards. This isn't unheard of, especially in the mornings; I've always been a bit clumsy. What was strange was my reaction. Instead of slamming into the steps, tailbone first, and bouncing to the ground floor, I managed to spin just as I started falling and landed on the steps with both hands and feet, keeping myself from the usual pains of falling down half a flight of stairs. Standing back up, I finished my descent, wondering how in the Hel I'd pulled that off. Eventually my mind drifted to Toothless and I spinning like a top as we dove though the clouds a few days ago.

"...Nice catch." I heard my father say to me. He kept staring at my features, quickly noticing something wrong.

"What happened to yer face, Hiccup?" He sounded both angry and concerned as I approached. But mostly angry. Not to say my father is a cruel or unfair man, but I've been screwing up since I was a kid, so his sympathy to my mistakes has been running thin over the last few years. Especially with all of my attempts at helping the village backfiring on me. I rubbed the bruise on my cheek where Snotlout's fist made contact and walked up to my father.

"Oh, you know, the usual. I was minding my own business and Snotlout decided to take his anger out on me." Dad seemed a bit upset at this, but just sighed.

"Hiccup, you really need to learn how to defend yourself, otherwise this sort of thing's just going to keep happening." He pulled his disappointed look away from me, taking another bite of his chicken.

"Well, I probably could've avoided it entirely if I saw it coming. He started out by punching me in the back of the head." I rubbed the spot in question. "Is he getting any... More punishments for... For that?" I partially hoped not. Otherwise he'd probably take it out on me. Again.

"Of course not. I can't fight all of your battles for you." He gulped from his tankard. "That's the point of putting you in training with the other teenagers. To toughen you up. Put some hair on that chest of yours." He stood up, apparently done eating. His chicken did looked like it had been nearly picked clean, and I'm sure the meade he was drinking is gone, as well. Tossing the bones into the hearth, he looked down at me, sharply.

"Y-Yeah, Dad?" I stammered. I had a feeling I knew where this conversation was going to head.

"Your bet with Gobber was pretty brazen of ya. Never imagined you'd be the wagering type." I saw a small smirk cross his face at that moment, I'm sure of it. But then his usual scowl returned. "But that doesn't mean it was a good idea. I'll approve of the bet, just this once. But you're not to be in the forge unsupervised by Gobber after this unless we can be sure you won't burn it down. Again." A vague memory of accidentally burning down a wall of the forge when I was ten crossed my mind.

"Well, hey, that's not exactly fair, you know. I was ten years old and didn't know what I was doi-"

"That's not the point, Hiccup."

"But I was a kid-"

"It took us two days to fix the damage, and we almost couldn't use it during the raid that had happened on the _same night_."

"This is different, though. I know what I'm doing no-"

"Son, this is serious. Every time you're in that building alone, disaster falls. Unless someone's watching you I can't be sure that you won't cause another fire or something else when you're building whatever it is you're building. So I'm adding a term to your little bet." I really didn't like the sound of this.

"And that would be?" I waited, hoping he wouldn't say what I had a feeling he would.

"Someone else has to be with you, if not Gobber." And there goes the whole point of having the forge to myself. I can't have someone watch me making a tail fin and a harness for a dragon.

"Doesn't that defeat the purpose of asking for privacy?" I retorted. Dad shook his head, a stern look on his face. Then again, I can't be sure. He always looked stern to me.

"The well being of the forge is more important than you having any privacy in it." I sighed.

"But if I can't work in private then there's no reason to have the forge to myself like this at a-"

"Hiccup, someone has to watch you."

"Are you even listening to me? I have my reasons for the secrecy, dad, and I don-"

"HICCUP! Either you have someone with you or you drop the bet." Obviously he isn't listening. As usual. I sighed, growling slightly, rubbing the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger.

"So, whose time am I going to waste today?" And not to mention, what can I make that I would understandably want keep out of the public eye that isn't a better riding harness for Toothless? After all, getting private forge access isn't something you get just to spend your time making a dagger, or something. As I worried, my father cleared his throat.

"I'm letting you choose that one, boy. But I have to approve of it, first. Whoever you choose gets to spend the day watching you do whatever it is you're planning on doing." I heard everything he said, but my thoughts were drawn to his first sentence immediately. I knew exactly how to fix this problem, and get an afternoon alone in the forge...

"Um... Astrid?" I said, hopefulness in my voice. I really need to work on that not happening whenever I talk about her. It makes my reasoning so obvious. Which, I realized, was something my father had noticed. He grinned at me.

"Well, Son. Didn't think you'd have it in ya to want privacy with a girl like Astrid! Though, I've been hearing stories from a certain one legged drunk that you've been spending a 'wee bit o' time' with the girl." Chuckling a little, he looked back down at me. "Yes, she'll do, I suppose. She can keep the rest of the teens in line, so I'm certain she can handle you." Trying not to think too much about the last two words he said, I frowned at the insult in his statement.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." I realized the irony of me saying that not a day after being beaten up by my cousin. My father ignored the comment.

"Well, I'll go and tell her she's got a job for today. She'll meet you by the forge, but you're not to go in until she's with you, deal?" He looked at me with that same stern expression.

"Deal." There might have been a smile on my face, but my voice, for once, didn't let on that I was looking forward to spending a day with Astrid. In private.

"Oh Gods, this is going to be really awkward, isn't it?" I said under my breath. My father grabbed his helmet and made for the door.

"I'll be heading to the Hofferson's in an hour to tell her she has to meet you. Eat something, then get ready and get down to the forge, an' for the love of Odin, don't damage it. And do whatever you're doing quickly, because I'm going to need Gobber to start making more weapons to replace the ones we've lost as well as the ones too far gone to salvage after we finish doing weapons inventory." He opened the door, and with a nod of farewell, he left. I grabbed a chunk of bread and a fish he'd left out for me, crunching away at the bread. I was looking at my face on the back of a silver piece of polished steel I had been using as a mirror. My nose was red, but not crooked. It had long since stopped bleeding. My eyes weren't bloodshot or anything, but I did have two slight black lines under my eyes. To be honest, I didn't look like I had two black eyes. I just looked really tired.

I had the fish cooking over the hearth, having spiced it up a little with some things I keep in a cabinet nearby. I'm not much of a cook, either, but I know some things. Finishing my bread, I bit into the fish, wondering where to start first with the new harness design I'd be making for Toothless when my brain finally registered something. I'd only have an hour to get ready and feed Toothless. Taking a few more hurried bites of fish and throwing it into the hearth, I ran to the door. It was a good thing Toothless's riding gear was still in the den in the cove.

* * *

Another painful sprint later, I was catching my breath near a boulder by the lake. Toothless, lying in our den, noticed me and ran over, his flying gear in his mouth. Wordlessly, I threw it on him, climbed on and we shot off as we always do.

Wind in my hair, eyes and everything else, I finally felt awake. After a bit of joyriding (and another freefall) we decided to go to our usual spot to go grab some fish for Toothless. A few powerful blasts and some skimming later, we'd caught a few dozen fish for his breakfast and flew back to the cove. When we arrived, I was surprised to find Astrid there, waiting for us. Landing and leaving Toothless to a feast of fish, I wondered out loud what she was doing here. She grinned and responded.

"I ran into your father just after I walked out of the house. He's off doing Chiefly duties, and apparently I have to watch over you in the forge because he's afraid you might burn it down." She was smiling, but I could tell there was something else there. "Hiccup, as funny as I do kinda think this is, I can't help but also think your dad needs a little more faith in you." Overjoyed by someone finally agreeing with me, I gave her my usual smile. To my surprise, she laughed a little. "You know, I always did kinda like that stupid crooked grin you call a smile." At this point, she had walked up to me, and per her usual greeting I was punched in the arm. No kiss, but that really didn't matter. I'd be spending the day with her, alone, in the forge. All day. Snotlout would be furious. I smiled at the thought, but was pulled back to reality when Astrid spoke to me in an unceremoniously soft, soothing tone. "I heard about Snotlout attacking you yesterday. Are you alright?" Taken aback by how... Caring, she sounded, I just nodded.

"Eh, he's done worse. Funny thing is, I realized after the fact that if I'd seen it coming, I could've easily dodged all of his attacks. But being punched in the back of the head without warning does tend to affect one's state of mind. To say the least." I rubbed the spot, wincing a little.

"What makes you think that? You may have tamed a dragon, but you still can't fight." Astrid gave me a smile at that last point, trying to make it obvious she was just being playful. I went along with it.

"Oh really? Don't you remember what I told you about Toothless as were walking to this cove?" Her smile disappeared as she thought.

"I remember it pretty much all word for word. I will never, EVER forget that night. But I don't remember you saying anything about Toothless helping you fight." She looked at me inquisitively. And beautifully. Always beautifully.

"Because I didn't. I told you Toothless taught me how not to NEED to fight, and I'm getting more and more proof that that's true in more than just one way." She just kept looking at me, silently telling me to continue. "Training with Toothless taught me that the war is unnecessary, and meeting the Red Death proves it. But he's also taught me how to use my small stature to my advantage by ruthlessly destroying most of my muscles over the past month of vigorous flying. Astrid, I may always be the weakest Viking in the village, but I'm becoming one of the _fastest_ Vikings in the village. I just need to be more situationally aware." She raised an eyebrow. "I mean, paying more attention to my surroundings." She frowned at me.

"Hiccup, I understood what you said the first time; I'm not stupid." Ugh. I knew that, too. Me and my overzealous mouth assuming she didn't get what I meant. She noticed the look of apology upon my cheeks and continued. "I was just thinking that the reason I'm as good as I am at being aware of my surroundings is because of a lifetime's worth of honing my skills in fighting. I should teach you how to fight with a weapon someday." She was looking me over now, arms crossed. "I doubt you'd like any of the heavier weapons. You're right, we should play to your speed. So probably daggers or short swords." I... Actually kinda liked this idea. I'd always neglected learning how to fight because I don't really care for it; plus, I'd assumed I'd be terrible at it and I didn't want to embarrass myself even more. But learning how to use a blade under Astrid's supervision seemed like a pretty good idea. "How does that sound?" I smiled at her again. Or had I even stopped since I landed?

"Fitting. Since I'll be teaching you how to train your Nadder." Her eyes widened in surprise and excitement at this comment.

"Oh, you have no idea how much I'm looking forward to that. But how will we do it? We can't exactly train dragons in the kill ring, since there's always at least one person watching." I had been thinking about this particular point since I'd realized we needed to do it. I still wasn't certain, but I had an idea of who I might be able to turn to for ideas.

"We'll need the twins on our side, first." That would be the hard part. After that... "They'll be the best at distracting any guards while we work with the dragons. Which will probably happen within their enclosures until I can figure out a way to sneak them out of the ring entirely and have them come back willingly." I turned to Toothless, my mind jumping back to the forge. "But we can talk about how to get them on our side on the way to the forge." I walked to Toothless, now lying happily on the ground near an empty net, Astrid in tow. He didn't bother lifting his head; he just swiveled an eye to us. "By Thor are you lazy." I smiled to him, crouching down and scratching his jaw. He purred even louder than before.

"_You should talk. Half the time you spent here I had to wake you up so you wouldn't miss lunch in the Hall._" He did have a point.

"I know, I know. Besides, like rider like dragon, right?" He gave a single grunting laugh. "I'll see you later, Toothless. Astrid and I are heading into the village. I've got a week's worth of free forge access and the only person allowed in while I work is Astrid, so your new riding harness should be done pretty quickly." He grinned at me.

"_You, alone in that building, with her? Oh, I have a feeling you'll need a lot more than a week to finish my new tail fin, if that's the case._" I knew Astrid couldn't understand what he said, but I think she gathered what it was from my reaction.

"TOOTHLESS! That's- you shouldn't have- why would you SAY that?"

"_Easy. Your reactions are always priceless. Now get going. I'll be fine here._" He closed his eyes. I sighed jokingly, standing and saying my farewell. I turned to leave as Astrid said goodbye to him as well, rubbing Toothless just between the eyes.

* * *

"So you want to tell the twins first?" Astrid and I had just left the cove when she started talking about our previous topic. "Hiccup, both of them, well, kinda hate you still, even if you did catch that knife." I knew that, but I wasn't planning on winning them over immediately.

"Astrid, we both know this is going to take time. Dragon Training takes weeks, and if I start winning in the ring, they might start looking at me differently. But even with that, I want Fishlegs to be first, because I think he'd be the most likely to handle it well." Astrid said nothing, apparently not following my reasoning. "He's the next weakest Viking, not counting his knowledge of dragons. If I can show him that he doesn't need to fight them, he might wholeheartedly embrace it. Besides, you know he does a lot of writing and drawing as well. And he seems to have a strange obsession with Gronckles." She nodded in agreement. "And with him, I think we have a link to the Twins." Unsurprisingly, Astrid grinned at me.

"So you've noticed it, too?" I nodded my head. They'd be kinda cute together, to be honest. Even if they are basically polar opposites. Probably _because_ they're basically polar opposites.

"Yeah. Ruffnut seems to have a thing for him. But she also seems to have a thing for Snotlout, but I've heard her talking and I know she's as fed up with his selfish attitude as you are." I scratched one of the bruises on my stomach. "And she hates how all Fishlegs seems to care about is the Dragon Manual. But if we get him on our side and then we let him win a few training sessions, and maybe take the manual from him, Ruffnut might start hanging around him more. And from the way he looks at her some times, I don't think he'd mind so much." Astrid nodded in agreement. "Then, we kinda have to play it by ear." Silently, I considered something. "Do you and Ruff ever hang out? I mean, you are the only two girls our age in the village." The nearest generation to us was a group of 20-somethings.

"We used to, but I haven't really seen her in a while. Like I told you, I've spent basically all of my time learning how to fight dragons." He face fell a little. "And now all that time... It seems wasted." Odin, she's not going down this road.

"Astrid, come on. You and I both know it's in your blood to want to be a warrior. And we still need competent fighters to defend the village from raiders that don't fly and breathe fire. Besides, Nadders are vain, and very strong dragons. She probably wouldn't want a weakling as a rider." Astrid's smile came back. Good. "Back to Ruffnut, maybe it's time to restart that friendship. Even if Fishlegs can help us, you know he's just as clumsy around women as I... Well, was, I guess." Astrid shook her head at me, still smiling. "Oh, come on. I'm getting better. I haven't stuttered your name in days." This was true.

"Well, I'll have to see if I can't make you do that again." Oh Gods. And we're not even at the forge yet. Or the village, for that matter, but it was coming into sight.

"R- uh, right. We'll... You can... Do that, I guess. Not like I can stop you." Diverting back to the topic at hand, I spoke. "But anyway, if we can get Ruff, Tuff will follow. And I think it might not be as hard as I'd initially thought, to get them to see dragons in a different light. You know how much they love causing trouble and going against the words of the elders." The twins were the worst troublemakers Berk had ever seen. And for once I saw it as a saving grace. "After that, all we have left is Snotlout."

"How do you plan on getting HIM to not kill dragons? He might be a bit of a pushover and slightly cowardly, but he's even more excited about training than I was." I had a feeling Astrid would like what I had to say about him.

"Simple. Other than my 'victories' in the ring, I plan on having the twins help me to disarm him and throw him in the Nightmare's cage, just to scare him. I know she won't kill him, especially after she starts getting jealous of the other dragons getting their own riders. After we give him a good scare I let him out to the rest of you all sitting on your dragons. Easy plan." I sighed with the same sense of sarcasm that always hung around my person as we entered the village, finally. Heading to the forge, Astrid asked me a question.

"Why do you always use that word?" I raised an eyebrow.

"What word?"

"'Simple.'" Oh, that. I smiled sarcastically.

"_Simple._ Nothing I do is simple. And I have an appreciation for irony." She laughed as we entered the forge.

* * *

"You mean to tell me this actually makes sense to you?" Astrid said to me, sitting on the workbench near the forge. She was going over my plans for a new tail fin for Toothless. "I don't get anything on here, other than it's a drawing of Toothless's new harness." I smirked.

"Just little observations, like how Toothless doesn't like how the thing rubs into him where I sit. I'm also going to make the seat more... Accommodating for passengers." I looked away, pointing to a detachable set of second stirrups. "But most importantly, the tailfin is going to be made of scales from Toothless himself. I've been screwing around with them for a while and finally figured out how to sew them together so they can actually form something. Something completely fireproof, unbelievably durable and long lasting. Including," I pulled out another blueprint, "A tunic." She seemed more than impressed with my cunning.

"Hiccup, a dragon scale tunic? That's genius!" I thought(and hoped) she might say something like that. "Why did no one think to make leather out of dragon hide?" This, I actually had an answer for.

"Because tanning a dragon's hide is actually impossible. It just falls apart. You need to connect the scales individually, and I finally figured out how." It was a very difficult process, anchoring the scales properly, like the shingles of a roof.

"... Hiccup, that head of yours is quickly becoming one of my favorite things about Berk. There's always something new coming out of it." She jumped off the forge table and walked over to where I was standing, currently working a new piece of Toothless's harness on the anvil. She kissed me on the cheek.

"A-And that was for?" I stuttered. Again. She'll always do that to me, I swear.

"Because I punched you earlier and didn't follow up on 'tradition,' as you called it." I smiled, dunking the hot steel in a cooling barrel. The sputtering fizz of boiling water filled the forge.

"Well, that's the last piece of the frame for the new seat. And that's also the last piece of the frame of the entire riding harness. Now I just need to knit those scales together..." I sighed. This was a long, tedious process. And I didn't have any practice making this 'dragon leather' to begin with, since the scales have to be really hot to meld together properly. It can be done at the Forge, but having Toothless here would make it so much easier. Or a Nadder. Astrid would like that.

"Wait. I thought you needed this week to make Toothless's harness? You're telling me the frame is already done?" I shook my head in agreement.

"The frame is the easy part. Knitting dragon leather is an entirely different story." Sighing, I turned to a bucket of slightly dull black scales and dumped them onto the forge. Upon hitting the coals, they started glistening, like they were wet. Dragon scales. Fascinating.

"Can I help?" Honestly, she really couldn't do much to help me at this point. In fact, she'd barely done anything in here so far, since I don't really need help with what I'm doing. Just time.

"No, not really. Even so, I do appreciate your company. I was actually kinda hoping you might drop by before I found out I'd be getting the day alone in here with you." She gave me a sly grin.

"Were you planning on something?" Gods, here we go again.

"Other than working on Toothless's new riding tack? No, I can't say that I had anything on my mind. I figured you'd make it interesting, you know, like you always do."

"Yeah, like embarrassing you for my amusement." Her eyes lit up a second later, a view I've always been partial to. "Oh, there's an idea! Embarrassing stories!" Wonderful. She's about to remind me of all of my past mistakes, isn't she?

"Why would I want to talk about stories that involve me making a fool of myself?" I wondered out loud. She punched me.

"I don't mean only you, Hiccup. I've got a few stories, myself." This I was interested in.

"Oh _really?_" Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

Four rather humiliating hours later, I had a little less than a quarter of the tail fin done. I hadn't even started on the harness, but considering how close it was to lunch I didn't think I'd have to worry about it until at least tomorrow.

We'd passed the extremely boring time by talking to one another about our past mistakes, embarrassing stories and the like. I had a very extensive list, whereas Astrid, predictably, only had stories involving the normal growing pains of being raised on Berk: What are dragons, Oh Gods why do dragons exist, nightmares about dragons and 'mommy, why does daddy have a hook instead of a left hand?' With a few notable exceptions. Like keeping a baby Terror as a pet when she was seven until her parents found out. They didn't kill it, luckily, but they did let it go, and quite threateningly. It never came back.

"I can't believe this. You actually kept a dragon as a _pet?_ Yet again, Astrid, you always told me you absolutely hated dragons. Where did _that_ come from?" Astrid was still laughing at the last thing I'd told her. Stopping temporarily, she spoke to me.

"Hey, like I said, I was seven. And it was cute. Emerald green, too. You know, my favorite color?" She picked up a dagger from a random stash of weapons near where she was sitting. "But lets get back to the topic at hand. You actually have a hard time sleeping in your bed now because you're not being used as a stuffed lamb?" She was playing with the dagger as she sat on a workbench near the Forge's fire again. "Hiccup, don't look at me like that, I'm not laughing at you!" Could've fooled me.

"Then what are you laughing at?" I was a little angry, but I was still grinning.

"It's just, well, you. It's you. This is all Hiccup. It's so 'Hiccup,' it's funny." I didn't get what she meant.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. I already knew I'd like the answer from the look on Astrid's face.

"I'm laughing because I'm finally getting to know what makes you tick," she poked me in the forehead, "and it's almost as exciting as the idea of flying Stormfly." Stormfly? She'd already given the Nadder a name?

"You named her 'Stormfly?' Already?" I didn't name Toothless the day after we first met. This was surprising. Well, less surprising now, knowing about the Terror.

"Yes. I don't want to get attached to her or anything, but considering the name I think I already have. As for why I chose it, I don't know. It just popped into my head. But I like it, and I think it suits her well." Thinking about it, I agreed with her, nodding my head. Then it hit me.

"Wait, did you say you think learning about me is e-uh, excit- exciting?" I was not expecting this. I mean, I knew there was 'something' there, but nothing like this. Astrid suddenly looked rather shy.

"Well, yeah. You're like a giant puzzle. And I've always liked those." She laughed. "And I think I'm beginning to resent myself for letting you get away from me for seven years. With all of this 'thinking back' we've been doing, being with you every time you screwed up probably would've been a lot of fun, if I wasn't such a coward about people judging me about befriending, well... You." She did look a bit ashamed of herself. "But, I'm fixing that now. And I don't plan on making the same mistake twice, so you're stuck with me, got it, pal?" She punched my right arm. At this point I've got bruises on both of them.

"Well, I'd hope not." I felt myself falling into her eyes again when I thought of something. "You know, there's something that's in one of my earlier journals I'm sure you'll eventually read, but I feel like telling you in person. For the longest time after meeting Toothless, I kept considering leaving Berk. Just stealing some resources and getting the Hel out. I had no friends, no relationship with my father, and Gobber's a teacher, not a confidant, so I had nothing much there, either. But I stayed because of, well, you." She looked at me with that soft quality in her eyes again, and it just made me grin even harder than I already was. "You know, I've been looking after you, too, in my own way." She cocked her head, apparently unable to speak. I understood her meaning. "I've been in this forge since I was six, and you've been training since forever. But your first axe, the one you were given for your tenth birthday, the one you accidentally cracked in half not six months later? I made that axe, with little assistance. I've made all four of the axes you've claimed as yours, and I made sure they were perfect for you. It's how I knew you needed a new handle." She reminded me of Toothless the first time we landed in that dragon nip with the way she looked. "I've been taking care of all of you in my own way, actually. I've made all of the other teens' weapons, as well. But I always gave your axes... A little extra time." I wasn't looking at her. I just kept wondering again and again why I let her talk to me for the past four hours about my past mistakes like they were intended to be funny stories. I knew my brain was making it a much bigger deal than it was, but my embarrassment had just hit me full-force and I was in regret mode.

Then she dragged me to the floor. Right as my father banged on the entrance to the forge, true to his claim he wouldn't come in.

"HICCUP! Time to get yerself an' Astrid to the meade Hall! Heheheh..." I heard him stalk away, laughing. I know we weren't being loud enough for anyone outside to hear any details of what we were saying, but I was still unnerved by his sudden presence, and even more flabbergasted at the position I'd found myself in, being pinned to the floor and so close to being eaten alive by a girl I've been in love with since I could remember. Assuming I was reading her face right, Astrid was more than ready to continue where we left off in the cove.

"Damn." I was correct. "Well, we really should get going... And... Uh, well, sorry about- about, that, Hiccup. Don't know what came over me." She was stuttering again. I'm still amazed I can have such an affect on her. Simply amazed. Reaching down, Astrid pulled me from the floor and over to the entrance of the forge, stopping just before we reached the exit. Her face looked contemplative, and then determined, as she turned and kissed me. Longer than she ever had before. Mind blank, eyes closed, legs barely doing their job, my arms wrapped around her tightly as I clung to her as she did to me. Then, abruptly, we pulled apart, leaving the forge, not speaking of what had just happened, but with telltale smiles on our equally blushing faces. We headed to the Meade Hall together, but not hand in hand. Not that I minded.

* * *

The sun had just set as we headed back to the forge, Astrid and I having spent a few hours flying on Toothless again. Making this dragon leather takes a long time, and even if I want to finish it as fast as possible I do need to pace myself with it, and that was the point of this break. Plus, even with Astrid with me, making the material is a very difficult, tedious process, and the last thing I want to do is make a mistake in my frustration. I turned my head to Astrid, who was still going on and on about how amazing being in the air is when I smiled and interrupted her chattering.

"You know, you sound a lot like you did when we were kids when you talk about dragons now. It's, uh... It's cute."

I was hoping she wouldn't dislike me calling her actions cute. She caught me completely off guard by just laughing and punching me on the arm again, dropping her hand to mine and grabbing it. I felt her leading me to the forge, apparently just as aware as I was that grabbing my hand like so would make me lose the ability to walk, or really function in any meaningful way other than being literally led by the hand. Again, not that I minded. But I did need to get that tailfin done, and Astrid knew it just as well as I did.

Entering the forge, she pulled her hand from mine and sat back on the bench, glancing around the room at all of the equipment in it. I started working on Toothless's new tailfin again(nearly 50% complete - Ugh, I sound like Fishlegs) when Astrid started talking.

"I might not kill him, but I still think I should beat the Odin-loving Hel out of Snotlout for hurting you." I quickly spun around and shook my head.

"No, no, no, that's not a good idea. He'll just keep taking it out on me regardless. I need to win his respect. And I do that by making him think I'm going to feed him to a Nightmare." I really liked the sound of that plan, and I knew everyone that would need to be involved to pull it off would like it just the same. "I don't think it's too mean of me to make him sweat for a few minutes after treating me like dirt for more than half my life. Even if it is horrible, mean and not very Hiccup-like. I can get angry too, you know." She glanced at me. "I just prefer not to most of the time." She shook her head, smiling again.

"I know, but really, Hiccup. You need to learn how to fight so you can defend yourself. You teach me how to fly and then I'll teach you how to fight. A fair trade, don't you say?" She stood up. "In fact, I want you to design a sword for yourself. One you fit to your own body's balance and your own needs as a warrior. Meaning something light, but durable, and long enough to give you good range without slowing down your swing. Then I want you to forge it like you're working on one of my axes. In fact, Hiccup, I'm personally requesting you make this, so I'm expecting the best you can do." I nodded, finally done with the tail fin for the night. Before admiring my work, though, I spoke to Astrid.

"Fair enough. But I'm not forging it until at least after Dragon Training ends. I'll be too busy otherwise." She nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of which, you know it starts tomorrow, Hiccup. And we both know how your father and Gobber can be, especially when they're together. Are you ready for this?" I'd been ignoring this particular issue for most of the day specifically because I knew I'd just worry about it all day, and I had too much to do to waste any time worrying about starting training tomorrow. I stopped for a second and looked Astrid in the eye.

"Being with Toothless for a month and a half has taught me enough about dragons to keep myself from being killed if they don't honor our agreement. The only thing I'm really worried about is being found out and getting exiled. Or worse." I thought of Toothless, and my backup plan.

"I figured. Hiccup, if things do go south, do you have any idea of what you'll do?" I nodded.

"If this falls apart, I've got a cache of supplies in the den. They'll exile me, and kill Toothless if they find out. They might even try to kill me for trusting the 'enemy.' So if I get found out, I won't have much of a choice but to take Toothless and leave. And if that happens, I'm going to need you to take my spot in training the other teens, otherwise this war will never end. We need to train those dragons, and we need our group together to do it." She looked unsure at having to take my place. "Before you say anything, I started learning about Toothless without a single idea of what I was doing. You, however, have experience going into this. Training isn't the hard part. It's keeping it quiet that'll be difficult. But while the entire town tends to keep an eye on me at all times when I'm in the village, no one questions your motives, especially with dragons. So don't act like you can't do this. Besides, it's only if I'm exiled, which probably won't happen. Probably." I sighed. "But like I've said, there's no point in worrying about it when I have other things to do," I gestured to the half-finished tailfin in my hand, "which is why I haven't really brought it up. But I'll be fine. Besides, I have the best ally I could have asked for out of the entire village." She grinned at me again.

"Thanks. I just wanted to make sure you weren't tearing yourself up inside over this." She yawned, stretching out a little. "And once this whole mess is through with, we work on your fighting skill." Shaking my head in agreement, I responded.

"Right. I'll draw up some ideas, take some measurements, consider what materials to use, and then make two of them. One for fighting, and one for training. Last thing I want to do is swing a sharp sword at my g... friend." That was a bit close. And she noticed. By Thor I'm so stupid.

"Nice save." I hope that means she gave me a free pass. I couldn't handle the embarrassment. "But you're right about the sword. Last thing we want to do is accidentally hurt someone by training with sharpened swords." It was tradition on Berk to learn how to fight using sharp weaponry instead of intentionally dull swords. Until someone went and cut one of their feet off. Luckily, he was not me. Or anyone I ever knew, for that matter, because he was killed by a dragon before I was born. I'm just glad it means there's less of a chance Astrid might get hurt. Or hurt someone herself.

"Well, the tail fin is half finished. Once its done I need to work on the saddle itself. And I still need to figure out what to use instead of rope to actuate the fin..." I tried to move the topic as far away from my little slip-up as possible. Astrid didn't seem to care, though I was wondering how she'd eventually react to it. Because I knew she would.

"Hiccup... Well, I have to admit it is weird, making something out of a dragon's dead skin, but it looks, well, beautiful." And it was. The same dimensions as the leather version, but sleek black, still shining from being heated so much by the forge. They overlapped one another perfectly, protecting the intricate stitching on the inside from being singed by fire and causing the fin to fall apart. It was entirely self-contained. And it was one of the most impressive things I'd ever forged, even if it wasn't finished yet. It's a shame only three people(well, two people and a dragon) would ever see it, probably.

"It really is. It's also one of the most intricate things I've ever done." She smirked at me again.

"Minus training a dragon and learning his language in two days?" Well, I suppose that is a _little_ more impressive.

"Yeah, minus that," I laughed. Hiding the now cool(but still shiny) tail fin in my workroom, I followed Astrid out of the forge. "I am absolutely exhausted. All of this riding and forging is killing me. And my arms ache especially, thanks to you." She laughed and hit me again, kissing me on the cheek. I really hope that becomes a regular thing. Even with the hitting. I could spend the rest of my life being woken up every day by a punch and a kiss from Astrid.

"Well if you hadn't absolutely terrified me by _jumping off of Toothless_ without telling me that it was a regular thing you did, you wouldn't be having this problem." She did have me there.

"What? I trust him and he trusts me. I figured it'd be obvious to you that that was just another stunt. We've done it dozens of times by now. And you have to try it some day. In fact, it'll be part of Dragon Training, as a trust exercise." She looked absolutely mortified by the idea. But a rider needs to be prepared. "Don't give me that look. If you don't prepare for being unceremoniously thrown off of your dragon, if it happens by accident one day you might not react in time." She closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly.

"I know, Hiccup. But it's still... Well, terrifying a concept. If you hadn't been caught in time..."

"Astrid, we've done this a lot. Toothless would never let me drop. Besides, we were waaaay too high in the air for him to not catch me in time." She stopped and just stared at me.

"Hiccup, I was too busy worrying that you were about to die to notice how high up we were!" She was almost shouting. I had to quiet her down. "I was afraid I was losing you alrea-" Stopping dead, she caught herself a bit too late.

It's interesting, being on _this_ side of the fence for once. Instead of holding her feet to the fire(which I'm sure I'd regret not doing later) I just laughed and hugged her.

"So, you care about me and I care about you. At least we're finally on the same page." She hugged me back, not letting go in the darkness just outside her house. This was a bit too public, though, so we started pulling apart. Slowly.

"Hiccup... Look, just get going home and forget I said that for now. Here." She kissed me quickly on the lips again. "Now you have something else to think about. Keep your mind on that." She turned and entered her house. I wholeheartedly planned on keeping it in mind. All the way into my bed. I would be having very pleasant dreams that night, considering she'd kissed me four times in one day. Which I'd need, considering what I'd be dealing with come tomorrow, and I think she realizes that. Tomorrow, I start the biggest lie I've ever told. Though, despite not actually harming them, I'd still be incapacitating the dragons in some way. But then again... They'd be letting me, assuming they follow the plan.

* * *

Getting home, I hoped my father would either be out or asleep. I was wrong on both counts, since it looked like he'd been waiting up for me.

"Hiccup." Not angry. More concerned than anything else. For once.

"Yeah, Dad?" I hoped this wouldn't take long, as I was asleep on my feet at this point.

"Good luck tomorrow. And don't forget to wear your helmet." Oh boy, just what I was looking forward to. Wearing half of my mother's breastplate on my head. Even if it did look kinda good on me.

"Thanks, Dad. I'll be fine." I really don't like our awkward conversations, but it's basically been that way since my mother died.

"I'll be making sure of it. Now get some sleep, Hiccup. You look dead on your feet." He stood up, heading to his own room. "Good, uh, good talk... and, uh... Good night." We both entered our separate rooms. With that awkward situation out of the way, I collapsed into my bed, pulling the wool sheet over my body and the set of furs I slept on. I passed out immediately, my head too full of blueprints and memories of Astrid to bother with the worry of what the rising sun would bring.


	11. Fortune Smiles Upon Thee

**A/N:** _I apologize for the delay, but this chapter is a lot longer than my previous ones, so at least there's that._

_Anyway, time for training, then Fishlegs.  
_

* * *

I slept in a little that morning, knowing I could safely do so and still be at Dragon Training when I needed to. Looking out of my window to see the time, I pulled myself from my bed, entering the cold air of the late morning. Donning my usual bearskin and boots, I grabbed a bit of bread and left the house. Walking my way toward the kill ring, my nerves finally began to show themselves. I knew I had to do this, but more importantly, I knew what was at stake if I didn't.

I turned my mind to Toothless and this pointless war, and used that as a confidence boost. It might not have ripped the weight from my shoulders, but it was comforting in its own right. At the very least, it was keeping me from doing anything but walk to my destination while mindlessly finishing my bread. I wasn't really thinking about anything, or of where I was going. I just knew my legs would take me to where I needed to go while the rest of me tried to keep my brain from thinking about what I'd be doing in a few minutes. Luckily for me, that didn't stop my brain from noticing a rock flying my way. It gave me just enough time to spin my body out of the way of the projectile, the sensation of it flying past my chest quickly letting me know that Snotlout had finally missed his intended target.

Looking up ahead I saw him, Fishlegs, the twins and Astrid all standing by the entrance to the kill ring. Snotlout looked irritated that I'd dodged his attack, but the rest of them looked at me strangely, not understanding how I'd done something so very unlike me yet again. Except Astrid. To my delight, she was glaring at Snotlout, an absolutely infuriated look on her features. He didn't notice. I did, however, and it managed to put a smile on my face.

"What are you so happy about, Useless?" He shouted at me, a noticeable indignation in his voice. "You don't have any reason to be in a good mood. Once we get in there, that Gronckle is gonna tear you apart." Finally within reach of the group, I looked up at Snotlout.

"How do you know they're using the Gronckle?" I asked. Oddly enough, just knowing what dragon we'd be using was helping my nerves. I was wondering how good the Gronckle's hearing was when Fishlegs piped up.

"Oh, I've read about this in the Dragon Manual. Gronckles are traditionally used first because they're small enough for a single trained Viking to handle, but still deadly enough to put up a decent fight against new recruits." He took a breath and continued. "But that doesn't mean Gobber or the Chief have to follow tradition, but knowing them, they probably will." For once I could say I was really grateful for Fishlegs's library of a brain. I wasn't illiterate, by any means, but my intelligence was not the same as Fishlegs's. While he was bursting with factual knowledge, even beyond the realm of dragons, I had a different kind of intelligence based more around observation, calculation and test. Together, though, our intellects would be rather formidable against the Red Death.

"Well, at least we know what it is now. Every little bit helps, right?" I tried to sound nervous, even though I didn't really feel very nervous anymore. I was about to try and continue the conversation with Fishlegs when I heard a voice echo through the walls of the kill ring.

"_Ah, that 'Hiccup' Viking is here. Gronckle, remember, go easy on him, but make it look genuine."_ It sounded like the voice of the Nadder. I bet Astrid would be happy to know that her chosen dragon was looking out for my safety and apparently dictating what to do to the other dragons.

_"Well obviously. Wasn't that the whole point of his meeting with us? We're not supposed to seriously hurt any of the trainees this time around and we have to let Hiccup win. Speaking of which, do you think he can hear us?"_ The Gronckle stated out loud. With my mind focused only on their conversation, I responded.

"Yes." I hoped no one near me would wonder why I answered my own question and would just attribute it to the fact that I was the 'weird' one on the island. I also hoped the dragons could hear me.

"_Well, it looks like he can indeed hear us, assuming he was answering you, Gronckle."_ I heard the Nadder's chirp echo through the walls of its container. "_Just follow the Gronckle's lead, Hiccup. Since only you can understand us, she'll be helping you through this training exercise we decided on after you left that night. Just pay attention and trust us a little. We'll try to do the same."_ And with that, the ring went quiet. Which was good for me, because it pulled the attention of the group to the arena in front of us.

"Well, that's... Odd. First they were louder than I'd ever heard them. Now they're dead silent. This kind of behavior hasn't been noted anywhere in the Dragon Manual. Maybe we'll have to update it...?" Fishlegs seemed almost more excited about updating the manual than he did actually fighting the dragons. I reminded myself that it was probably because Fishlegs wasn't much of a fighter when Astrid caught my eye. She was looking at me inquisitively, not unlike how the rest of them we looking at me earlier, but she had a smile on her face.

"Mornin' lads! An' lassies," Gobber corrected himself as he walked up to us, lagging just slightly behind and to the right of my father. They both looked at me, and then to the rest of the students. "Right. No sense sittin' 'round out here. Welcome ta' dragon training!" Gobber shouted, pulling open the first gate to the arena. Walking into the small tunnel that would lead us to the killing floor, my father threw open the second gate. I swallowed hard and waited in the back for the other teens to follow first. Astrid, to my relief, was doing the same. Getting a tiny moment of privacy, I whispered to her.

"Apparently the dragon has a plan, and all I have to do is follow it. Makes it simple." With that, Astrid merely smiled and nodded, taking her place next to me and the other students. We were standing shoulder to shoulder and watching Gobber and my father. Gobber was giving each dragon an introduction and Fishlegs was butting in with statistics from the Dragon Manual. I was too busy laughing internally at the small chirps the Terror was giving off to pay any more attention.

"_Oh, they're here! Do I get more fish? Maybe give me a fish aft-OH! Hey, there's a mouse! Get back here, time for lunch-"_

"Hiccup." My father clearly stating my name pulled me from listening to the Terror. "Are you ready for this?" He looked me over. "And what are you smiling about? I didn't think you'd be excited about this like the others are." I looked at my peers, noticing that they all appeared excited and ready, with exception to Astrid. She didn't seem very happy about this situation at all, but I had a feeling that it was more to do with me than the dragons.

"Oh, I'm not... Excited, about this, really. I mean, at all. I'm just, uh, trying to prepare myself, you know, for what- what's ahead, and that means... Not, not letting my nerves get the best of me?" Why did I phrase that statement as a question? I swear, I can handle taming a dragon, but talking to my father? Impossible.

"Well, alright, Hiccup. We'll get started, then. Gobber, open her up." I was surprised by this, even if I no longer feared the dragons. We're starting so soon? I figured we'd be spending most of the morning listening to the two of them explain the small details and finesse required to attack and defend. Apparently, that wasn't the way they had planned this. Snotlout was the only one of us that spoke up.

"Wait! Aren't you gonna teach us first?" He almost looked worried. I smiled a little again.

"We believe in learning on tha' job." Gobber stared Snotlout down, his stone tooth protruding from his lips. With a slight grin, he pushed the lever down, unlocking the Gronckle's cage. The doors blew open, and out she flew, her fly-like wings beating hurriedly against the wind. She growled, and while the rest of the trainees scrambled to pick up shields to defend themselves, I stared at the Gronckle, waiting for her to give me an order.

"_So this is what the Dragon Viking looks like? The Nadder was right, your scent is deceiving. You're small, but extra weight won't help you on the back of a Night Fury..." _She fluttered over to me, growling. "_Alright, time to stop acting surprised and start running! I'll handle the rest."_ She fired a blast at me just as I started moving. It was a methodical strike, detonating next to where I was standing, so even if I hadn't moved it would've only warmed me up, not ignited me. Relieved that I had actual evidence that the dragons would willingly work with me, I tried paying a little attention to what my father and Gobber were saying. It's not every day the Chief of the village and his closest confidant gives you private lessons, so giving them an ear probably wasn't a bad idea.

"HICCUP! Pay attention and grab a shield!" I heard Gobber shout to me. Nodding, I headed to a few shields sitting on the ground near where my father was yelling something at the twins as they fought over a single shield. Seeing an open target, the Gronckle fired, splintering the item in their grasp. Shuffling out from between the twins and the arena's exit, I grabbed a red one for myself and hurried off, not really running that fast. I didn't see a need to waste my energy when the Gronckle wasn't paying me any attention.

"Alright, you two! Yer out!" My father stomped over to the twins and yanked them to their feet, directing them to the half-open gate of the arena. They went and slid out underneath it. "A shield is your most important asset. More important than any weapon. If you have to choose between a hammer," He gestured to the weapon in his own hands, "or a shield, take the shield." I was considering mentioning to both my father and Gobber that neither of them were using shields when I heard Gobber speak up.

"Right! An' your shield's good fer more than jus' defendin' yerselves. Use 'em to make noise, and lots of it! Throws off a dragon's aim." In tune, we all started knocking our weapons against our shields(I had picked up an axe from the weapon rack to blend in a little more) while the Gronckle hovered above us. She shook her head a few times in confusion before flying at Snotlout, scattering us. "It doesn' last forever, though, so use it ta get outta the way when ya need to!" I heard Gobber chuckle a little at the vulgar name Snotlout had uttered at him when my father spoke up again.

"Gobber's right about that. You have to live and breathe this stuff! Know your enemy! Now, dragons all have a limited number of shots. How many does a Gronckle have?"

"SIX!" Fishlegs chimed in immediately, cutting off Snotlout's most likely incorrect answer with his own. He could probably recite the entire manual entry on Gronckles by heart, if instructed to. And I knew he would, if anyone would listen.

"Correct! That's one for each of you!" I heard Gobber continue. Fishlegs started celebrating at his little victory, paying nearly no attention to the Gronckle flying around the arena. One well aimed blast later, his shield shattered on his hand.

"Fishlegs, out!" Gobber pointed to the door of the arena. Half running and half sulking, Fishlegs squeezed himself under the gate. I turned to see Snotlout casually talking to Astrid, who was currently focused on the Gronckle, paying no attention to Snotlout or his comments. He was, predictably, flirting with her, despite being in the middle of our first dragon training session. He kept it up until his shield was blown out of his hands, crumpling on the wall near him. Without more instruction than his name, Snotlout stalked off to the gate of the kill ring.

"So, just you and me then, huh?" I asked Astrid, walking up behind her. She grinned, aiming her eyes at mine.

"Nope. Just you." Astrid must've seen the same thing I did: the Gronckle was pretty much ignoring me, save for that first shot. There were only two shots left, and even though Astrid had always been the more physically capable of the two of us, we both knew only one of those shots was going to miss.

"_Incoming!_" The Gronckle seemed to be enjoying this whole thing, especially since Astrid and I were the only two left. As she flew towards us, Astrid dove out of the way. I, however, decided to drop to the ground, letting the dragon hover over me. I dropped my axe and shield when I hit the floor of the ring, pushing myself back to my feet just as the Gronckle fired at Astrid, successfully blowing most of her shield off of its handle. Astrid ran to the door and slid under it, quickly spinning around to watch me from behind the gate with the rest of the teens. She didn't even realize Snotlout was trying to talk to her. She also hadn't noticed the look of utter shock on everyone else's faces, them having realized that unless I died, I'd come out on top of our first training session.

"HICCUP!" I heard both my father and Gobber bellow. I spun immediately toward where the sound of beating wings was coming from, seeing the Gronckle flying at me yet again. I reacted as quick as I could, jumping out of the way and landing hard on the ground. Paying no attention to the throbbing sensation coming from my left knee after its contact with the stone floor, I hopped back up and really started running. I watched her get closer to me when I realized we were about to hit the wall of the ring. I dropped to the ground again as the Gronckle tackled the wall above me. She shook her head a little and dropped to her feet, sucking in air, her mouth not an arm's length from my head. Reacting to this slow intake of breath, I fell to my back and pushed off the wall, sliding myself between dragon and stone for a moment before coming out from behind her. I jumped to a standing position just as she fired her last shot at the wall I had been in front of not seconds prior. She turned to me, growling, an angry look on her face. However, her voice was anything but.

"_Very good! I wasn't planning on firing until you were out of the way, but I don't think they noticed. I'm sure they'll be putting me back, now that I'm out of fire-hrk!"_ I heard the Gronckle yelp in pain as Gobber's hook dug into the flesh just under her teeth.

"And that's six! Go back ta' bed, ya overgrown sausage!" He pulled the Gronckle to the door my father had just opened. With some work, the two of them put the Gronckle back. I heard her growl a little from behind the door.

"_That went well, minus the hook in my jaw. Ugh. Anyway, Hiccup, you'll probably be working with the Terror tomorrow, but considering she hasn't stopped chattering about you since our first meeting I don't think you'll have much of a problem with her."_ Her cage went quiet again. With the Terror in mind, I started thinking back to Toothless playing with the light glinting off of my work hammer a few weeks ago. I'd originally planned on using that to lead the Terror back to its cage, but now that I understood Dragonese I could probably just tell it what to do, using a few fish as bartering tools.

"Well, tha' was... Unexpected..." I heard Gobber state, shock in his voice. "Hiccup, since when have you been fast, lad?" I laughed nervously, trying to figure out how to avoid the attention I never realized I'd be getting if I started to win in the ring.

"Well, you know, I've, well, been your apprentice for most of my, uh, my life, and I've, uh, spent a lot of time, by myself, in the woods... I guess, uh, wandering the island has helped me speed up. A little. Not much." Gobber looked at me with uncertainty painted all over his face. Before he could respond, though, Fishlegs interrupted.

"A little? Hiccup, I've only seen Astrid move like that!" I looked over to the other teens and noticed that other than Snotlout, they all looked genuinely impressed. My father and even Astrid, to an extent, looked proud of me.

"Well, if ya plan on interrogating my son, why not do it over lunch? It might not be noon yet, but I'm certainly hungry enough for it. Gobber, take the rest of the trainees to the Meade Hall for something to eat. Hiccup and I will be just behind you. I'd like to have a word with him in private." He was honestly beaming at me. I don't think he's ever been proud of something I did, but yet, here he was. What made it feel so bad was that I was basically lying to him, but it was necessary. I kept reminding myself of this as the rest of them walked away.

"Hiccup, where _did_ you learn how to move like that? And how long has it been like this, anyway?" He looked at me, then raised an eyebrow. "I assume it's how you caught that knife." He looked down at my right hand. It was scarred, but healing, and completely scabbed over. Only my thumb was still bandaged, as it took the brunt of the force behind the knife Snotlout threw at me. I scratched the back of my head and repeated what I'd said before.

"It's like I said, dad. I've spent a lot of time in the forests on this island, and its been really helpful. I've also done a bit of swimming in the ocean, and the water helps people of, uh, 'my' stature speed themselves up. Or so I've found. Plus, I am a blacksmith's apprentice, and if you aren't quick with your hands when you're in that position you tend to regret it. Pretty quickly." I found myself unconsciously walking in tow with my father as he started his way to the gate of the arena. He laughed and smacked me on the back.

"Well, if you're too embarrassed to talk about it, I can understand. But don't let that girl run your whole life, Hiccup. You still gotta be your own man." I stumbled when he said this, as though his words had somehow managed to nearly trip me.

"DAD! Wait, you've got- that's not right- I mean, just- Gods, that's not correct! Astrid didn't have anything to do with this, and I mean it!" I managed to stop tripping, but I was still burning red with the idea my father was obviously getting at. He just shook his head and laughed.

"Alright, alright, I'll believe you. But I have to say, you almost remind me of the way I was when I first started seeing your mother..." My father was never one to talk about the past much, and even when he did recollect, it was usually to himself. This was something I was currently very appreciative of, since I'd need a few minutes of silence to calm myself down from what my father was implying about Astrid and I.

* * *

"...Right. You have to be tough on yourselves." I heard Gobber's voice echoing from behind the doors of the Meade hall as my father and I approached. I pulled the door open and headed in after my father, grabbing a turkey leg and a glass of milk on my way to the table. Taking my seat across from Astrid, I took a bite out of my turkey when I noticed my father gesturing Gobber over to another table across the hall. They both stalked away, my father's comment of 'not fighting all of my battles for me' coming back to mind. The second they were out of earshot, I heard Fishlegs speak up again.

"Hey! Uh, Hiccup. Good job today." He was giving me a strange look. Glancing around the table, I realized that everyone was. It seemed more and more likely that not a single person believed my 'blacksmith wandering the forest' explanation. While Fishlegs was trying to figure out how to word what he wanted to say, Snotlout butted in.

"Look, we wanna know what's going on. We're supposed to work together now that our group's in Dragon Training, and you're holding out on us? If what you're doing is so good at making you a decent fighter for once, imagine what it could do for someone like me!" I ignored the expected insult and thought about what Snotlout had just said. I didn't like the sound of being called a 'decent fighter' when I hadn't actually done any fighting in the ring. I cleared my throat.

"Well, Snotlout, it's not like anyone in 'our' group has ever bothered reaching out to me until very recently." I silently hoped Astrid would get that I wasn't grouping her with the others as I gathered my thoughts and continued. "So, you can't exactly blame me for 'holding out on you' when the main reason I spent all of my time hiding either in the forge or the forest to begin with was to avoid getting locked in a shed or pelted with rocks. Or dragged through a field. Or tied to a tree. Or shoved into the ocean when it's freezing outside. Do you need me to keep going?" I gave him a blunt look of sarcasm that turned to surprise when he just stared at me. Deciding to take advantage of this unusual silence I kept speaking, since I still had a point to make. "Besides, what I've been doing _hasn't_ made me a better fighter. All its improved is my speed, and it's not exactly the easiest thing to 'teach' to someone." I took a breath. "And like I said, we wouldn't have any time for me to help you speed up when we'll be spending all it training dragons." I breathed out, hoping they'd finally let it rest, when Fishlegs raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth.

"Training dragons? Almost sounds like you're trying to teach it a trick, or something. Like it's a pet." The group sniggered at the idea while I silently tried to keep myself from going pale. Finally looking to Astrid, I noticed she wasn't looking very comfortable in this situation, either. I spoke up, trying my hardest to keep myself from stammering again.

"Yeah, that's a funny... Slip-up, there. I meant training **with** dragons. Not training them. Like you could really train a dragon." I tried to laugh, but stopped when I realized I wasn't making any sounds. "Yeah, like that'd work. Just show up in the kill ring with a fish and hope the Nadder won't rip you limb from limb when you open its cage. 'Do a flip and you get a fish!' Sign me up." I managed to pull off a joke with my normal sarcastic banter, but I still felt feint. Luckily, no one noticed it, as everyone but Astrid and I were laughing lightly at my joke.

"Well, uh, Hiccup, we're... Well, sorry, for doing all... That. To you. And I'm not just saying that because I want you to tell us how you've gotten so much faster." Did Fishlegs really just apologize to me? In front of everyone? My surprise was extended by the twins uttering in agreement and Snotlout merely looking away, though clearly not comfortable with the subject. I considered it for a moment, and then realized this was probably the best way to get to Fishlegs even if I hadn't completely forgotten his complacency with the others tormenting me for the last seven years.

"Well, Fishlegs, thanks for the apology. It's... Nice of you. Really." I felt horribly strange saying that, knowing it was only partially true. "And everyone else who agreed with him." I tried to make that statement as general as possible so I didn't leave anyone out. Snotlout didn't exactly apologize, after all, but I don't want to get on his bad side because it would just make getting him to understand the truth about our supposed enemies that much more difficult. "Anyway, I'm just gonna finish lunch and go take a nap. Running from that Gronckle really tired me out." I took a big bite out of my lukewarm turkey leg, hoping to finish eating in silence. Then I heard Fishlegs address me again.

"So, Hiccup, after that nap you plan on taking, do you maybe want to help me update the Dragon Manual?" There seemed to be a hopeful quality in his voice. Before he could try and withdraw his offer(He was often as timid as I was) I swallowed hard and jumped at it.

"Well, alright. We can meet near my house at sundown." I quickly ripped more flesh off of the leg, hoping no one had overheard or would want in on our plans. Not that I expected anyone to actually want to hear Fishlegs talking about the manual to begin with, but I needed to do this individually, since I knew easing just one person into the idea that dragons aren't pure evil would be daunting. I wondered if I could even approach Fishlegs with the concept by myself. A voice addressing the agreement between the two of us made me remember I wasn't alone.

"Hey, you two, would you mind if I came with?" Fishlegs looked at Astrid in confusion. The rest of the table wasn't paying us any attention, since the twins had decided to get into another fight. They were currently wrestling, Ruffnut having knocked Tuffnut's helmet across the room while pinning him to the floor. Snotlout was laughing and cheering Tuffnut on, even though he was losing.

"Uh, are you sure, Astrid? You never struck me as the kind of person to care much about the manual..." Fishlegs trailed off with his thought as Astrid responded.

"I've read it a few times, but never all in one sitting. But it'd probably be good for my training if I see what the two of you put into this manual update." I looked between the two of them, hoping for my sake that Fishlegs would agree to letting Astrid come with us.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't be a problem." He looked over to the twins, flinching a little as Tuffnut whipped his head back, hitting his sister in the face. In retaliation, she slammed his head down against the dirty stone floor.

"Yeah, just as long as neither of us starts acting like that," I said, pointing my thumb at the twins and Snotlout, who had apparently decided to join the fray. He was currently being pinned by both Ruff and Tuff.

"Please. I don't want anyone damaging the manual. It'd just be more work to fix it." He looked back to his near empty plate and stood up. "Well, Hiccup, I'm gonna grab some more. You want anything?" I considered it, but then shook my head. I wasn't planning on eating anything else in the Meade Hall.

"No, no thanks. I'm good. One turkey leg is good enough for me." Fishlegs nodded and walked off as I thought about heading to the Cove. I wasn't actually planning on taking a nap, and I was still hungry. But I wanted to finish lunch with Toothless, and probably Astrid, if she decided to follow me again. Finishing off the turkey leg, I went to drink the rest of my milk as Astrid started talking to me.

"That was way too close for me. Nice save, though." She adjusted one of her shoulder pads nervously. "Did you really think the Nadder might have actually hurt us?" I shook my head.

"No. I knew she wouldn't just because of how she sounded," I whispered, making sure no one was paying attention. "She's not dangerous. If you know what you're doing, no dragon is dangerous. At least, no dragon I've ever heard of." Astrid glared at me, and I knew why. "Look, the Red Death doesn't count as a dragon. It's pure evil." She slowly nodded as I finished my milk and stood up. Astrid stood as well, making to leave with me as Fishlegs walked back up to the table, a full plate in his hand.

"Enjoy your nap, Hiccup. And while we're working on the manual, maybe we could talk about what a Night Fury's stats might be? I always thought it was an interesting topic to talk about, but no one else seems to." I grinned at this. I had no problem talking about Night Furies with Fishlegs.

"Well, I don't see why not. But we can talk more about it tonight; I really should get going. Enjoy your lunch, and I'll talk to you later." I turned to leave when I heard Astrid say something about going to the forest to improve her axe-throwing. Pulling the door open, I slipped out and waited for her. After a few seconds, she emerged from the hall, punching me on the arm playfully. Smiling still, I rubbed where she hit me and shook my head as we made for the forest.

"Well, today sure has been eventful. Especially for you, considering how many lucky breaks the Gods have thrown at you today. First the dragons agree to help you, then no one really questions how you managed to beat us all at training because they were too embarrassed about treating you like dirt. Now we've got an easy way to get Fishlegs on our side, and it's only noon." She grinned. "What's next, your dad finding out about Toothless and being okay with it?" I shared a laugh with her as we entered the border of trees, disappearing into the brush.

* * *

No matter how many times it happens, I will never get bored of riding on Toothless. Especially with Astrid behind me, reading my journal over my shoulder as I write in it. We've been drifting through clouds for a few minutes now, enjoying the late afternoon sun breaking through them. We'd probably have to land soon, considering we have to get to the front of my house to meet up with Fishlegs.

"Speaking of which... Toothless, I may be introducing you to another person in a few days, is that alright? He's not nearly as Viking-like as the other three in our group, so he should be easy to convince of my point. You'd probably like him, to be honest. He's a bit obsessed with the dragon manual I told you about, though. He's always been bookish. But unlike me, he has a natural ability to defend himself, if only because of his size." I'd been talking with Astrid about this point, and we both agreed that the main reason he wasn't ostracized like I was came down to his huge weight advantage. Sure, he was a better fighter than I was, but not by much.

"_Thank you for telling me. But you don't need to convince me that meeting the other Viking trainees is a good idea every time you plan on doing it. Just tell me when and what the plan is. We can handle the rest as it comes."_ I rubbed Toothless's head.

"Alright, bud, thanks. I'll keep that in mind." I turned my head slightly so I could glance at Astrid, her head still resting on my shoulders. "So, do you wanna try a freefall yet?" I smirked, deciding to write my next thought down for her to read:

_...I expected the same dry 'no' she gave me when I asked her this question right as we took off a few hours ago from the cove._

"Oh, come on. It wasn't that dry." She laughed after I finished writing. I wasn't planning on this, but she has been interested in my journals for a while now. I figured it probably wouldn't be a problem if she was present while I recorded what was going on during the moments we spent together, so I've been letting her read as I write.

"It was dry enough. Not like it matters, anyway. I just wanted to see how you'd react; I wasn't serious." I heard her sigh as she pulled an arm from my waist and hit me on the arm like she always does.

"Oh? And what was that for?" I asked, rubbing my arm without much thought.

"For trying to annoy me for your amusement." She hugged me from behind.

"At least you're not mad. It'd be kinda hard to get away from me up here."

"Oh, shut up and let me enjoy the view for a little while longer before we have to land." I nodded silently, reaching out my hand to put my journal away when a stiff breeze loosened some pages of it, causing them to start flapping around. I managed to stop it right on the last page I wanted to see. My newest(and best) drawing of Astrid and I riding Toothless was sitting on the two pages in front of me. Before I could shut the journal, though, I heard an intake of breath from my left and a felt Astrid's arms tighten around me.

"Uh, Astrid, this isn't, well, it's- It's not-" She cut off my stuttering.

"Hiccup, it's okay. Really. It's... Beautiful. I didn't know you could draw this well. You're almost as good as Bucket is, and you don't have a cracked skull to thank for it. It's all just your natural talent, and another thing about you I never knew. Another thing about you I like." Astrid completely removed any trace of worry I might have felt for this accidental reveal with those words. A funny thought popped into my head as I considered her eyes still scanning my work. I had to mention it to her, even if it'd take me a while to follow through with it.

"I've got a bunch of drawings. And this one," I pointed to the pages of the journal tacked to Toothless's saddle, "appears more than once, in varying poses. But this version is the best one I've drawn so far. I'll have to show you the others some day, if you'd like."

"Of course." I shut the journal and finally replaced it in my harness.

"Anyway, we probably should get going back to the cove. Sundown's coming, and we don't want to be leave Fishlegs waiting. Toothless, let's head back." I felt him purr beneath me in response.

"_Okay, but tell your mate to hold on._" I sighed and rolled my eyes, but did as he asked.

"Astrid, Toothless wants you to hold on tight. He also wants me to sneak an eel into his next basket of fish for a comment I won't be repeating." Toothless smacked me lightly with an ear flap just before flipping upside down and speeding off. Astrid was apparently trying her best to crush my ribcage with her arms and legs once she realized the ground was above us, but luckily she didn't scream. After a few minutes of flying mainly upside down at extremely high speeds, we came to a halt in the cove. We climbed off, and Astrid immediately turned to me, breathing a little heavily.

"So, we can do that again tomorrow, right?" I was not expecting to hear that come out of her mouth.

"Really, Astrid? I mean, yeah, we can try another inverted flight again tomorrow, if we have the time."

"Can we try a freefall, too?" I turned my head to get a better look at her.

"Look at you. One controlled, but still terrifying flight later, and you're hooked. You're even looking to try something that mortified you yesterday. You know, you should be thanking me for giving you an unfair advantage when our Taming classes begin." Putting away Toothless's riding gear with my own and throwing on my bearskin vest, I turned back to the two of them. Astrid was cradling his head and scratching him behind the ear, his large back paw repeatedly slamming against the ground in response. "Well, this explains why he started purring so loudly. Toothless, as much as I hate to interrupt you getting a nice scratch, Astrid and I do need to get going." He looked at me, continuing his very loud purr. Slowly pulling away from Astrid, he turned and bumped his head into my stomach before turning and heading into our den. He stuck his tail out and waved us goodbye.

* * *

The two of us had reached the border of the dense wood just near my house when we both noticed Fishlegs. He was standing with his back to us, apparently looking out over the Island of Berk. I was planning on sneaking into my house through the rear when he heard us and turned around.

"Hey Hiccup, Astrid. Um, what were you doing in the woods? I thought you were taking a nap." I didn't want Fishlegs to think I was lying to him intentionally, so I addressed this before he could continue.

"Oh, yeah. I was sleeping in this place I have in the woods. It's a small safe house hidden out there, just in case I can't get back home for whatever reason. I slept there so no one would bother me. Then, uh, I ran into Astrid and we both walked back together." Fishlegs looked between the both of us and shrugged, to my relief.

"I guess that makes sense. Anyway, let's go to the Meade Hall. It's probably near empty by now, so finding a table shouldn't be a problem." He turned, leading us to the Meade Hall, the thick Dragon Manual under his arm. We walked there in silence, the only sounds around us being the faint ones coming from faraway villagers. There was also a slight rustle as I ran my hand through my hair for the hundredth time since landing, trying to make sure it wasn't still pulled back from riding on Toothless.

Entering the Meade Hall, we found it to be almost entirely empty. There were a few Vikings sitting at a table near the towering double doors who paid us no attention when we walked in. Glancing around to make sure no one else was in the hall, I pointed out a table in the far corner that I was very used to sitting at. It was big enough to comfortably seat five, so it would do well for our purposes. Walking over and taking our seats, I looked around one more time to make sure no one was near us, just in case the conversation somehow moved on to training dragons. We sat there in silence for a few minutes while Fishlegs opened the manual and pulled a large stack of notes from between the cover and first page. Flipping over to a random entry, he started erasing small details and replacing them with new ones, mainly numbers. Before either Astrid or I could ask him what he was doing, he spoke up.

"I'm just updating some statistics on the dragons we've got locked in the kill ring; namely, a slight increase in the Gronckle's accuracy statistic. I've never had much of a chance to observe them when they raided us, so I never realized just how good they were at aiming." He scribbled down a few numbers. "The stats each dragon has in the manual were added in by me. I figured a number system would be an easy reference guide to dealing with dragons. It never occurred to me that most Vikings don't seem to understand numbers." He stopped scribbling and flipped over a page of his notes, read a little more, and started writing again. "But even if not many people pay attention to that sort of thing, I'm still recording it. I mean, it's still nice to have the reference, and I'm sure someone will eventually notice how much easier it is to deal with dragons when you know all of their little details, instead of just running in and swinging." Turning the page, he continued writing, but was apparently done speaking. So I figured I might.

"Yeah, I'm sure eventually someone will. After all, Vikings are stubborn, not stupid. But if anyone ever notices how much easier dealing with dragon raids is when you know the dragons, uh, statistics, then I'm sure it'll catch on like dragon fire." I rubbed the back of my head. It still kinda hurt from Snotlout's punch. "Wait, did you say you're the one who recorded all of those stats?" That was a lot of work to be done all by one person, especially someone as young as us.

"Yeah. I spend a lot of time with the manual, because I'm... Not the best fighter on the Island. But I am good with numbers." He quickly looked to Astrid and I, and then went back to the manual. She said something before I had the chance to.

"Fishlegs, just because you're not a good fighter doesn't mean you have to bury yourself in a book. Look at Hiccup. He can't fight, but he's quick. You just have to find your niche on the battlefield." He looked up from the manual again, his eyes turned to Astrid.

"Astrid, I appreciate it, but I've been trying to use my hammer for years. I'm still terrible with it... " I had a feeling he was starting to close himself off at that admission. Fishlegs never liked talking about his fighting ability, and I'm sure he wasn't feeling very good about himself after openly admitting he's a poor fighter in a warrior village. I had to bring him back if we were ever going to get to talking to him about the dragons.

"Fishlegs, Astrid may be on to something. I never really bothered learning how to fight, but the few times I tried picking up a weapon, they were always too heavy for me. I never even considered using anything else, because I never thought I could do it. But considering how fast I've gotten, if I use a fast weapon more fitting to my size, I won't have a problem with it." Fishlegs looked back up from the manual again.

"A fast weapon? What, like a dagger, or something?" He gave me an inquisitive look, which wasn't uncommon from Fishlegs.

"No. A dagger's too small to be used as a reliable weapon when you're fighting. I'm going to have to make a sword for myself that's as long as it can be without being too heavy for me. I have a decent idea of how to do it, but I won't really have the time until after dragon training." My mind wandered from my sword to an idea that had just appeared in my head. "Fishlegs, You'd probably be better off with a much larger weapon." He almost looked offended when I said this.

"Wait, why a big weapon? Because I'm a bigger... Viking?" I didn't want him to think I was picking on him, especially considering how hypocritical of me it would be.

"Yes and no. Not because you're heavier than the rest of us, but because you need to play to your strengths. You may be too slow to take my route, but your arms are about as big around as Tuffnut's chest. You have a lot of power behind you, so giving you a large, overreaching weapon makes sense, because it makes up for your lack of speed. In fact, I have some ideas..." I let my voice trail off intentionally, letting him say something if he wanted.

"Play to my strengths? Ideas? What... What kind of ideas?" I must've grabbed his attention with that one.

"Weapon ideas. If I made you a war hammer that had a huge head and a long, steel handle, you'd have a weapon much more suited for you. It would probably feel more gratifying than swinging that tiny hammer around all the time, too. Because it would fit you." Finally, I saw Fishlegs crack a small smile at this.

"I guess my hammer is a little small for me. I mean, when I use the thing, I can barely feel it..." He went silent again.

"Yeah, and I can barely lift it. Which is why I'm better off with a short sword. It's like you said to me a few days ago. I may have 'plus five speed,' but I'm also down in points on strength." I almost laughed at the idea of assigning numbers to skills and weaknesses. Only Fishlegs would do something like that.

"Wait, why did I never consider actually sitting down and doing that? Give everyone in our group their own statistics! That way, you can help them with their weapons, too!" I could see where Fishlegs was going with this, but I didn't think the others would really care too much about it. I was about to mention this to Fishlegs when Astrid decided to step in.

"It's not a bad idea, but you need to be less involved with explaining it, because Snotlout and the twins aren't exactly as smart as you are. Instead of going into detail, just tell them it'll help with their future weapons, since Hiccup here already makes all of ours personally." I wasn't really looking to tell that to Fishlegs, but I didn't mind Astrid saying it. I just nodded my head.

"Yeah... I wasn't going to say anything about it, but whenever we're given orders to make weapons for all of you, I volunteer myself to spend some time getting the details down right. Just my own way of helping protect the group, since I can't help you guys any other way." I watched as Fishlegs went from looking surprised to rather hurt.

"Really? Even though we turned our backs on you?" I nodded.

"Yep. Like how even though most of the people in our village treat me like a pest, they'd still defend me from a dragon because they know I can't do it myself. We're Vikings. We care for our own." I looked to his notes, and then back to him. "Look, don't worry about it. What's past is past. Besides, don't we have a manual to update?" Fishlegs seemed to go back to normal when I mentioned the manual again. He flipped a few more pages and came to one that was mostly blank.

"The Night Fury. Speed, size, shot limit, wingspan, weight and everything else. All unknown. No one's ever seen one." He shuffled through his notes, coming to a page with some drawings. Not as good as the ones I've done, but still decent. "I tried sketching out what I think it might look like. Do you ever wonder that?" In truth, I always did wonder what a Night Fury looked like. And now that I was the Bond-Brother of one, I knew that Fishlegs's drawing was rather incorrect. He was right on the color, but he was wrong on pretty much everything else. The sketches looked a bit like a pitch black Nadder with the spikes on its head removed, standing at about the height of a Nightmare.

"I've wondered that since I was old enough to think about dragons. And I've also got some ideas of what one... Might look like." I tried to ignore the little slip up as I pulled out my journal and opened the front cover, pulling out a few carefully chosen old watercolor paintings I made of Toothless and handing them off to Fishlegs. His eyes went wide at them, slowly scanning over all of the brush strokes.

"Wow, I didn't know you could paint. This is a lot more detailed than the one I made, too. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you're close to the real thing. Would you mind if I kept one of these and sketched it into the manual? It might be useful as a possible identifier in the future." I considered it for a moment. It's not like anyone knowing what Toothless looks like would be a problem, since they'd still know he's a dragon even without the manual.

"You can use one, but only one. No point in putting a lot of time into it when we're not even sure if this is what it looks like." He kept shuffling through them, almost as though he was looking for a specific painting.

"Hiccup, in all of these paintings... The dragon looks rather unintimidating. It's eyes even look like giant cat eyes. Don't you have any that make it seem more... Ferocious?" I hadn't even considered this, since I rarely ever pictured Toothless as ferocious-looking. I've also never even sketched him in such a way, and I wasn't sure if I could.

"No, those are the best ones. I wanted them to look more... Natural. I mean, dragons can't always be horrible killing machines. Even the best Vikings in history aren't always fighting, and I wanted to try and... Paint a dragon that way." I really hoped he wouldn't find that point weird, since it could hurt the small amount of progress I've made.

"Huh. I never thought of that before. It's hard to think of a dragon doing anything but fighting, though, so that's probably why." He handed back the rest of the paintings, having chosen the only one that also has myself painted alongside Toothless. It was a simple painting of Toothless sitting next to me as I looked off to the right of the page. I had a feeling Fishlegs chose it because it gave a reference to how big the Night Fury was.

"Well, we have a decent enough picture for the book, but still no stats. Any ideas?" I shook my head, since I didn't know how his 'stats' even worked. "Hm. Well, maybe if I explain how the numbers work you can give me a hand?" Begrudgingly, I nodded. I really didn't want to hear all of this, but it would help with getting Fishlegs on our side. I still wasn't sure how I'd bring up what dragons were actually like. "Alright! This isn't too difficult to understand, anyway. You'll probably get it in a few minutes." He flipped through the manual to an explanation page that detailed how 'Dragon Statistics' worked. "Let's begin."

* * *

An hour later, Fishlegs and I had just finished explaining the system to Astrid. I grasped his ideas pretty quickly, and Astrid did too, once I explained them to her. Fishlegs's heart was in the right place, but he never was very good at explaining how his brain worked to the others. The system itself was pretty basic: based off of previous recordings of how dragons compared to Vikings in ability, he created a number system. It was simple, but pretty effective, and far more intuitive during battle than a long-winded explanation. The higher the number, the better the dragon was in that category. Categories that Vikings didn't have were based on how much damage it could cause, bodily or otherwise.

"So, now that you know how it works, what would you say the Night Fury's stats are? My guess is it's probably close to a Nadder, but a lot faster. Plus fifteen speed, at least." I had a very hard time suppressing the grin coming to my face, and tried to get rid of it by speaking.

"Oh, I'd say it's probably closer to plus thirty in speed. Maybe plus four in size, a shot limit of fourteen and plus six to fire heat. The wingspan and other details I guessed are on the painting." Now that I knew how this system worked, I could immediately tell where the deficiencies were. And I still wasn't sure how fast Toothless really could go, because whenever we tried to reach his top speed, the wind would nearly rip me from his back. The new harness would let me lie closer to him, though, so I might soon find out.

"Hiccup... Plus **thirty**? Really? I don't think anything can fly that fast. Not even a Night Fury." I had a feeling he wouldn't buy it, but I knew it was true.

"I'm only basing that off of the fact that every time I've tried shooting the thing down, I miss by miles. I can't react fast enough." I was rarely good at bluffing, but this I knew I could do. Fishlegs shrugged.

"What about the rating of six for fire heat? The Nadder's is plus nine. You don't think a Night Fury's fire is stronger?" I shook my head, but Astrid answered for me. It was 'her' dragon we were talking about, after all.

"Why should he? We don't know of any dragon that even comes close to a Nadder's firepower. The next one in line is the Nightmare, and that's only plus four, according to your numbers. Not to mention, if the Night Fury has that many shots, it won't need them to be really hot." Fishlegs nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point. But between us, I still prefer the Gronckle, even if it isn't as mysterious as the legendary offspring of lightning and death itself." He went back to updating some more pages, a process I noticed he didn't seem to have stopped since we entered the hall.

"You like the Gronckle?" Astrid feigned surprise, since we'd both talked about this before. Fishlegs seemed to sink into his seat just a bit, almost embarrassed about admitting he liked the way a dragon looked. "Well, if it's anything to you, if I could keep a dragon as a pet, I'd take the Nadder." He popped back up in surprise.

"Really? I always thought you hated everything about dragons. What do you like about the Nadder?" Astrid smiled.

"It's light on its feet, deadly in battle and does everything it can to keep itself in top form. Even if they do raid us for food, you have to admire their ability." Fishlegs nodded in understanding and then turned to me.

"Hiccup, what about you? I assume it's the Night Fury, based on your pictures." I looked back at the paintings, still sitting on top of my journal. I grinned a little at the sight of Toothless before speaking.

"You'd be right about that. I feel like the Night Fury and I are rather similar. He never seems to attack with the other dragons; he just shows up alone sometimes during raids, does a lot of damage and flies off without taking a thing. Like he's an outcast among dragons." Due to the Red Death, this was basically true. His species hadn't been allowed anywhere near the nest since the Tyrant took over.

"Don't be so dramatic, Hiccup. You're not an Outcast, and you're not alone if you have at least one friend. And now you have two, so quit it." Astrid punched me lightly on the arm after she finished telling me this. I just shook my head and rubbed where she'd hit, like I always do.

"She's got a point, Hiccup. If I can't beat myself up about how I've treated you for the last seven years, then you can't mope about it, either. It's the past, right?" His now cheerful demeanor made me wonder if this evening had been even more effective than I'd originally thought. It gave me an idea.

"Fishlegs, can I ask you a question?" He looked back up at me and nodded.

"Sure, Hiccup. What is it?" He responded simply.

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like if dragons didn't raid us like they do? What would Berk even be like if we didn't have to constantly worry about getting attacked in the middle of the night?" I was waiting for his response, but with how long he was taking, Astrid decided to speak up again.

"I know I have, a few times. Honestly, I think I'd prefer it that way. As much as I like knowing how to defend my tribe from the dragons, It'd be better it if we didn't have to. And who wouldn't want that? Most of the deaths in this village are because of them." I knew Astrid was trying to use this admission of hers to lead Fishlegs along, and hopefully keep him open to what I was saying. He never liked being the odd man out, so making sure he wasn't in this situation would help me get to my point.

"Well... Yeah, I have. Like Astrid said, who wouldn't want things to be like that? The only way it could get any better than the dragons leaving us alone is if we could domesticate them, like sheep or cattle. If we had dragons as 'pets,' like we were joking about earlier, we'd never have to worry about being raided by other tribes... Or Outcasts." The Gods really were smiling upon me, today especially. Though, I knew Fishlegs had always appreciated the creatures, and by no means could he be considered stupid. Harnessing their power would be a definite boost to our defenses and no one could deny it. But most Vikings probably wouldn't even consider it as an option. Then again, most Vikings weren't like me. And the Viking most like me was sitting at this table with Astrid and I.

"Hm. I hadn't considered that." I had to lie, but I'd already resigned myself to the fact that what I was doing was all one big lie. So a few smaller ones along the way couldn't hurt. "You're right, though. Imagine if we could keep dragons as pets. Even Alvin the Treacherous himself wouldn't stand a chance against us. We'd finally be free of both of our biggest problems by using one against the other." I waited for a response, all of my focus on the teenager in front of me.

"Yeah. Too bad it'll never happen, though..." Fishlegs yawned before continuing his thought. "It might be fun to think about what life would be like if dragons were our allies, but the truth is they are just ruthless killing machines, isn't it? Otherwise they wouldn't raid us all the time." It was getting pretty late, and I had a feeling Fishlegs would probably be heading to bed shortly. But I needed to plant a seed of doubt before I'd let that happen.

"Fishlegs... I've thought about that a lot, actually. And it doesn't make any sense." I waited in silence, hoping he would take the bait.

"What do you mean? They raid us to eat. What is there to make sense of?" I was about to continue when Astrid cut me off, again. I didn't have a problem with it, since I knew she was just trying to help. And get a word in, herself, since Fishlegs and I had done most of the talking.

"The dragons take everything they can get their claws on when they come, but at the same time the ones that we keep in the kill ring don't eat nearly that much. So Hiccup here seems to think they might be serving a dragon King, of sorts." Fishlegs' eyes widened slowly as Astrid spoke. Then he cut me off before I could talk.

"How... How did I never notice that?! You're right! What if there is a Dragon King, and they're being controlled, like... Bees, or something? If we kill the king, maybe they'll stop raiding us!" Just a little further with this train of thought, and then I'd let Fishlegs stew by himself on the concept.

"Well, we don't know for sure. But if that really is the case, and it's being fed all of our food, imagine how colossal the thing would have to be. It'd probably make a Nightmare seem like a Terror in comparison, otherwise it wouldn't need to eat nearly as much." The happy look on his face fell, immediately. But I already knew how to end the conversation and get Fishlegs thinking that maybe everything we thought we knew about these giant reptiles was wrong. "Meaning, the only way for us to beat something like that would be to use the dragons themselves." His look of sorrow transformed into one of confusion.

"Hiccup, the dragons in the kill ring are way too violent for that. Even the Terror attacks anyone that comes near it. How could we possibly use them as weapons against a huge dragon when we'd be too busy trying to keep them from killing us?" I let my mouth break into a grin before I continued.

"You can't repeat anything I'm about to say to anyone. Not that they'd believe you, anyway, but still, you can't repeat this. Ever. In fact, that probably applies to this entire evening." Fishlegs' eyes went wide again, but he remained silent, only nodding for me to continue. "Alright. The Terror in the kill ring isn't actually violent. None of them are. They're just terrified of being hurt every time their cage door opens. That's why they attack anyone they can see. The Terror, specifically, is actually really affectionate to anyone willing to give it a fish." I could see disbelief written all over his face, but instead of letting him speak his mind, I continued. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. Tomorrow, we're going to be up against the Terror. If the plan I've got works, It'll come out of its cage, see me and then run back in. And all I'll have to do is stand there." Fishlegs opened his mouth again.

"Hiccup, that's-"

"Fishlegs. Listen to me. It's getting late, and I have some... Things, to take care of before I go to bed tonight. But before I leave to do them, I need you to do something for me. Forget what I said about the Terror until tomorrow. After training, if things go they way I say they will, then we can continue from there. If not, then we can just pretend this entire conversation never happened. Alright?" This time I waited for a response. It came in the form of Fishlegs gathering his notes and carefully placing them in the Dragon Manual before closing the cover on them. He sighed heavily.

"Alright, Hiccup. I'll do that for you. It is the least I can do after... Well, you know. But for the record, I can't say I believe you." He grabbed the book and stood up. "Not that I hate you, or anything. I just can't see you being right about this. Anyway... Hiccup, Astrid, It is getting late. I'll see you two tomorrow." He waved at us briefly before turning and heading to the door. After a few moments, he disappeared, leaving Astrid and I alone in the Meade Hall.

"So, would you consider that a victory? Because he seemed pretty unconvinced that what you just said is true."

"He might have seemed that way, but I have a feeling he won't be forgetting anything I just said any time soon. Even if I told him to. Once you get an idea about dragons into his head, he has a hard time getting it out. If he won't convince himself that I'm right, then tomorrow, I'll do it for him." Astrid gave me a puzzled look.

"Really? And how exactly are you going to pull that off?" I stood up when she said that, motioning to the door.

"Simple. Let's head down to the docks and grab a few small fish. I have a dragon to talk to." Standing, Astrid nodded in agreement as we started walking to the door of the hall.

"Also, Hiccup, nice job with that one. I never imagined you'd have enough confidence to go through with this so quickly." She seemed impressed with me again, but the truth was different than her explanation.

"The reason you never imagined I'd have the confidence is because I don't. I'm just telling myself I do, because if I don't this war will never end. It's... More important than me being comfortable."

"If you're going through with it, then you're confident enough. Now relax and let's get going to the docks." I pulled open the door to the hall and walked out, Astrid just behind me.

* * *

I made my way to the kill ring alone, as Astrid and I had split up when I went to grab a few fish. I'd asked her to set up a distraction for me, since the sentry in front of the ring wouldn't leave otherwise. As I came to the ring itself, I noticed that no one was standing guard and the gate to the ring was open. Curious, I stepped down into the small hallway that connected the two gates, finding Astrid standing there, waiting for me.

"Took you long enough. I grabbed a couple of my mother's herbs and made a small alteration to the guard's Tankard with them. He should be out for an hour or so, and the best part is, no one saw me do it, so he'll just think he fell asleep." We walked into the ring.

"_Oh, someone's here. AND THEY HAVE FISH?!"_ I couldn't make out the rest of the hurried chatter coming from the Terror's cage. Not wanting to waste any time, I got to the point.

"Terror, it's Hiccup. And yes, I do have fish for you, because I need you to do something for me. Tomorrow, we're supposed to be fighting you, but since I don't want you getting hurt, I'm here with a peace offering. If you run back into your cage tomorrow after you see me, I'll give you this entire bucket with five fish in it." I waited for the telltale rumbling of a dragon's speech, but none came. "Terror? Did you he-"

"_Five? More than one? All I have to do is run back into my cage?"_ A few more seconds of silence passed. "_Give me the fish now and I'll run into my cage tomorrow._" Slightly relieved, I unlocked the feeding door to the dragon's cage and overturned the bucket of fish in front of it. Pushing to door open with one hand, I slid the fish in with the other. The door didn't even have time to shut before the sounds of a dragon gorging itself echoed from behind it.

"So we have a deal, then. Tomorrow, just run back into you cage, but only after you see me." An awful feeling hit me for rigging the training session, so I reminded myself yet again that it was for the greater good. "I need everyone thinking I won this one, too."

"_Don't worry about it, Hiccup. We'll make sure she doesn't forget. Now go to sleep._" The Nadder's tired sounding rumbles and chirps left the cage next to us, and with it came a feeling of reassurance.

"Thanks, Stormfly. I appreciate it. I'll talk to you later." I went to leave with Astrid when she spoke again.

"_Storm-Fly? What did you call me?_" She sounded more awake now, and thankfully not upset. I figured I might as well explain it, even though I didn't mean to use the name Astrid told me she'd chosen for the dragon.

"Hiccup, what did she say?" I had a feeling I knew where Astrid wanted to take this. I didn't mind it.

"She just asked me why I called her Stormfly. Why don't you explain it to her?" I notice Astrid's eyes widen a bit, but other than that, she seemed calm.

"Uh, N-Nadder? It's Astrid, the girl you met before. The name 'Stormfly' is the name that I, uh, chose. For you. If you decided to make me your rider." She slipped up a bit, but I couldn't blame her. A few seconds of relatively tense silence later, the Nadder responded.

"_Stormfly... I can't say I mind it. Let the girl know I'm fine with the name she chose for me, alright?_" She let out a loud yawn. "_Now please get going. I need to sleep._"

"I'll do that, Stormfly. And good night." The ring went silent again, save for the sound of the Terror chomping away at the fish I gave her. We left the arena, the bucket I brought the fish in now sitting next to the passed-out guard. We walked in relative silence to the village square when Astrid finally spoke up.

"So... What did she say?"

"She's fine with the name. And she's about as easy to read as you are, but you both seem set with the idea of being rider and dragon, so don't worry about it." Astrid sighed and punched me again. She followed up with a swift kiss on the cheek before bidding me a good night. She ran up to her house and waved before slipping inside. I felt fairly exhausted myself, so I quickly dragged my body home, not even noticing the uphill trek. I opened the front door slowly, looking around to make sure my father was already asleep. Not seeing him, I entered, closing the door as quietly as I could. I slipped up the stairs and tossed off my boots and bearskin, crawling under the covers and closing my eyes.


	12. The Inevitable Backfire

**A/N:**_ Happy Holidays! Unless you're reading this during a time period in which it isn't a holiday, in which case, 'hello.'_

_Blame the delay on the season. I've been busy. But after New Years I'll have a lot more time to spend on this, so we should get closer to my original update schedule, since I know many of you prefer it that way.  
_

_With that out of the way, enjoy the new chapter, and happy Holiday/Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Smissmas/Snoggletog/Whatever.  
_

* * *

I woke up the next morning to the sound of a very large, meaty hand slamming against my door.

"HICCUP! Time to get up and get to the ring!" A few distant thumps told me he was heading back downstairs. In a daze, I pulled myself from bed, threw on my usual clothes and exited the room. Normally, my father only wakes me up if I'm late for something. As I stumbled down the stairs, I found him waiting for me by the front door.

"No time to eat anything, Hiccup. Ya slept in a bit too long for that. Coulda missed training if I didn't wake ya up." He opened the door and walked out. Absentmindedly, I followed him out of the house, trying to rub the sleep from my eyes before we arrived at the ring. My mind was busy considering what I might say to Fishlegs after we finished with training this afternoon when my father's booming voice ripped through my thoughts.

"So, Hiccup. Why were you so late comin' home last night?" It took a few seconds for me to register what he'd said, but when I finally did I was no longer groggy. I couldn't exactly tell him the truth, so I just said the first thing that came to mind.

"I was just... Hanging out with Astrid, that's all." Right as the words left my mouth, I cringed a little. "You're not going to let me hear the end of this, are you?" He laughed before responding to me.

"Of course not, Hiccup. It's a father's job. Now, what were the two of you doing out so late at night?" I closed my eyes and sighed.

"We were only taking a walk. Not doing anything. I mean, not doing anything bad. Not that we would. Just walking through the village and talking. That's all." He laughed at my stuttered response and smacked me on the back. His teasing was beginning to get annoying, but I knew he was just happy for me, even if I sometimes had my doubts that I could ever have an actual relationship with Astrid.

"Alright, alright. We can leave it at talking, Hiccup. I won't do any more prying. For now." He gave a small snort of laughter again. I was thankful we were moving the conversation along, even if we were almost to the arena. "So, are you ready for today? Tough opponents, those dragons." I nodded.

"I don't think I'll have too many problems handling the Terror. After all, they're small, and easily distracted." I turned my head to my father. "It is the Terror, right?" As I thought back to yesterday's session, I realized the only reason I believed the Terror was our next opponent was because the Gronckle had mentioned it.

"A good guess. And you'd be right. Traditionally, trainees face the Gronckle, then the Terror, and then the Nadder before moving on to the two biggest dragons kept for training purposes. But I remember when I was a boy, we actually had a Skrill in the ring! Just a young one, maybe a year old, but the feistiest dragon we'd ever kept! Only one we'd ever caged that escaped." He shook his head a little and let out a huff of breath. "It's a shame, too. Could've added its skull to the collection on display at the Meade Hall." I felt my stomach tighten uncomfortably when my father mentioned that. The Meade Hall was used for a number of things, including official meetings with friendly tribes. Because of this, it was decorated in the usual Viking manner, which ranged from weapons to dragon skulls. I never liked seeing that collection of skulls at the far end of the hall, even before Toothless. Now, seeing it isn't just unnerving. It's absolutely disgusting, and one of the reasons I rarely have an appetite when I'm there.

"Yeah, probably..." I let my voice trail off a bit before attempting to jump to a new topic. "So, dad. I still have quite a bit left to do in the smithy, and I only have it for five more days. So I was hoping I could spend the rest of the day there. Gobber... Doesn't need the forge today, does he?" My father's happy, reminiscent face dropped to a look of mild annoyance when I mentioned the result of my bet with Gobber. He nodded.

"Gobber spent most of yesterday working in the forge. Actually managed to start making all of the weapons I'd commissioned him to do after we finished inventory. So yes, you can have the forge today." I nodded, keeping in mind how quickly I was going to have to work on the new gear for Toothless. When I'd originally asked for a week of private forge access, I hadn't known that my father would be asking Gobber to forge a few dozen new weapons. Luckily, I knew I wouldn't need an entire week to build the new harness, considering I'd finished more than half of the tailfin in one day.

"Alright. Thanks, dad. I'll be quick about it, and if I finish early I'll let you know." He put a hand on my shoulder in response as I walked into the open mouth of the ring, meeting Gobber and the other students in the center. My father closed the inner gate and walked over to us.

"Righ', we're all here. Day two of dragon training! Taday, we'll be facing... The Terrible Terror!" Gobber's inflection made the dragon seem dangerous. If anyone could understand them like I can, they would know almost immediately that the Terror is about as deadly as a housecat if you aren't trying to kill it.

"Wait, you mean we're only fighting a Terror today? Those things are smaller than Ruffnut's brain." Tuffnut's comment earned him a shield to the helmet as Ruffnut quickly swung at him. Laughing a bit, Gobber responded.

"Don' underestimate the Terror, Tuffnut. It's small, but it can still pack a punch! Nearly lost a finger ta one a them little things when I was yer age. Probably woulda, too, if I hadn' lost me whole hand tha next week. Terrors have some bad venom, an' it can cost ya if yer not careful." He grabbed the lever next to the cage door, looking to my father for a signal to proceed. Before telling Gobber to unlock the cage, he spoke.

"The Terror lesson usually doesn't take very long, and it isn't very serious, but it has a very important point: you will most likely never fight a Terror one on one. They're pack animals, so you can always expect to find them raiding in groups. Three or four of them aren't much of a problem, but Terror packs can range from a few to a few dozen. Keep that in mind if you ever come across a pack in a raid. There's no shame in retreating from a battle you can't win alone." He turned to Gobber. "Go ahead and open the door." With a tug and a click, the feed door to the cage unlocked. Almost immediately, the little Terror popped out. The twins, Snotlout and Fishlegs backed up a little, readying their shields and weapons, just in case. Astrid pretended to, but the look on her face told me she was taking this about as seriously as I was. I considered stepping up to the little dragon in hopes that she would see me and retreat to her cage. I was stopped by the sound of her purring turning to speech.

"_Oh! Hiccup. It's you! Thanks for all the fish. Do you have more? Maybe a mouse?"_ She was keeping her eyes on the other trainees as she spoke to me, and I was beginning to get worried she had forgotten our deal when a muffled squawk came from the cage to the right. Everyone turned to it, but only I knew what it meant.

"_TERROR! Like I told you! Do it and get back in your cage!"_ Suddenly I was trying very hard not to smile at how absurd this whole situation was becoming.

"_OH! Oh. Sorry. Sorry, Hiccup. Sometimes I get distracted._" With a slight huff, the terror began dragging its claws against the stone floor, faking a growl. She looked around, staring intently into the eyes of each teen. She spat a stream of fire at Tuffnut, only using enough to set a small amount of his hair on fire. He turned and ran, getting doused by a bucket of water Gobber had picked up after walking away from the door. The Terror kept growling and snapped rather quickly at Snotlout, coming within a few inches of one of his legs before jumping away. When she turned to me, she went silent and stopped moving. After a few seconds of being locked in place, she backed up a little before spinning around and scurrying back into her feed door. With a squeeze, she slipped inside. I smacked the lever back up with the axe I'd grabbed again that morning, a loud click telling me that the lock had engaged properly. I turned to the group just in time to see Fishlegs's hammer hit the floor. The look of utter surprise on his face was one I knew I'd never forget. I fought the urge to laugh as my father spoke up again.

"Like I said, it doesn't usually take long. Very well done, Hiccup! I don't know what you did, but that Terror looked terrified when it saw you!" He looked proud of me again, and it felt like I was being cut by a knife. But I knew it was necessary. "Trainees! That's all for today. I want you to never forget what I've said about how dangerous those things can be in numbers. You're free to leave. Gobber," he gestured to the gate of the ring, "I've got some errands I'm going to need help on. Let's get going." Without argument, Gobber nodded and followed my father from the ring. I went to start walking after them when Snotlout grabbed me.

"Snotlout, what-"

"Shut up until they leave." I knew I wouldn't have much of a chance of getting away from the entire group, since it seemed they all wanted to keep me where I was. I obliged, knowing I'd have to face these questions eventually. Once Gobber and my father were gone, Snotlout let me go. He was about to speak when Ruffnut knocked him out of the way.

"Alright, Fishbone, what the Hel did you just do? That Terror looked like it was afraid of you." I shrugged, backing up a little from her.

"I didn't do anything! I was just standing here!" My brain was running through possible ways out of this mess when something came to mind. "Like I said, I spent a lot of time in the woods. Maybe I rubbed up against a plant, or something, that dragons don't like? That would explain it, because I didn't actually do anythi-"

"STOP MAKING EXCUSES!" Ruffnut screamed at me, closing the gap I'd put between us. She looked like she was about to say something else when someone began shouting at us.

"OI! You kids! Lessons are over! Out of the ring, now!" Our conversation being interrupted by the morning guard seemed to have a jarring effect on the other teenagers. Without saying anything else, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins turned and walked out of the ring. Astrid and I waited a few seconds before following them, knowing full well they'd be continuing their questioning the second we were out of earshot of the ring. Sure enough, the moment Snotlout was sure no one would interrupt us again, he stopped and turned to me.

"Okay, Useless, time to fess up. How have you gotten so good with the dragons? You'd better start telling us!" He reached out to grab my shirt, pulling his other fist back menacingly. I slid myself just out of his reach and tried to answer him.

"There's nothing to tell, Snotlout! I haven't gotten 'good' with the dragons, I'm just faster than I used to be. And as for the Terror, I haven't the slightest clue why it ran from me. I wasn't trying to threaten it at all, it just acted like I was." I hoped that would be enough to calm him down, but I doubted it. Before he could say anything, though, Astrid stepped between us.

"Hiccup's not hiding anything. He does spend a lot of time in the woods, and he very well could have come into contact with something dragons avoid. It's not that unbelievable." I felt a surge of gratitude for Astrid that was slightly cut off by Fishlegs speaking up.

"There are three species of vine on this island that result in rashes and itching as well as two species of berry that cause high fever and vomiting. If there are five different plants that we know of on this island that are harmful to us, there's probably at least one that affects dragons." Fishlegs backed away from Snotlout a little. "Hiccup very well could be telling us the truth." Snotlout looked from Astrid to Fishlegs, the scowl on his face indicating how he felt about the two of them coming to my defense.

"Even if he is telling the truth, I still don't believe him." Snotlout turned to me. "When I find out what you're hiding, I'll give you another pair of black eyes." He turned and stomped off, leaving Ruffnut and Tuffnut with us. Ruff still looked angry with me, but had apparently calmed down enough to speak in a calm demeanor.

"Look, I guess I can't really blame you for not telling us how you scared off that Terror without doing anything, but we're going to need to know eventually. Especially if it could help keep us alive." She said nothing else after that, turning with her brother to follow Snotlout in silence. I shook my head and turned to Astrid.

"Is it strange that I'm not actually lying to them, and yet, I feel like I am?" I asked. Astrid turned to me and smirked.

"You're too nice for your own good sometimes, you know that, don't you?" She punched me on the shoulder. "Don't worry about them. Any of them. Once they find out what you're really doing, they'll understand why you've been acting the way you have. I did." I grinned a little and went to thank Astrid when I was both cut off and startled by a forgotten Fishlegs.

"Speaking of what you're really doing, I want you guys to tell me. I've got way too many questions to just let you walk away again." He crossed his large arms, looking down at me with a slight frown. Slowly, I nodded to him.

"Fine. But you need to listen very carefully to what I say. This is more important than you could possibly imagine, and the truth of what's really going on is going to change everything." He gave me a confused look. "I mean it. Everything. Dragon training, raids, our oh-so-tasteful Viking decor, our very way of life? All wrong." I pointed back to the village. "I'll explain more in the forge. We'll need more privacy than a public walkway." I turned to walk, hearing both Fishlegs and Astrid doing the same.

* * *

As the three of us entered the smithy, I quickly threw closed the shutters to the receiving area and hung a large cloth over the door-less entrance. Much of the forge area is viewable from the outside, since the entrance is so massive. One of the things I hadn't considered is just how hot an enclosed forge can get when there's really no way for the heat to escape, so I had no choice but to work in an uncomfortably warm building. With that thought in mind, I turned to Fishlegs as I began heating up the coals to finish Toothless's tailfin.

"I hope you're wearing a shirt underneath that huge bearskin tunic, because it's about to get really hot in here with that cloth over the entrance." Fishlegs looked at the forge coals and then back to me.

"Guess I'll just have to deal with it, then." He glanced back over to the hearth before asking the question I was waiting for. "Hiccup, what exactly did you want privacy in the forge for, anyway?" I took a deep breath and let it back out slowly. It was go time, no matter what the outcome. I just hoped it would be the outcome I was aiming for.

"It's a long story. A very, very long story that I'm still having a hard time believing." Astrid was nodding in silent agreement. I pumped the bellows of the forge a few times before walking over to and entering the storage-workshop. From there, I continued. "Back during the last dragon raid, as everyone now knows, I was testing out a weapon on one of the cliffs of Berk." I walked back out of my workshop area with a large bucket of scales and the unfinished tailfin. Fishlegs looked very confused as to what I was holding. "As usual, no one paid any attention to what I was saying. So I went to prove it myself." I dumped the scales on the forge. Fishlegs eyes went wide when he realized what they were.

"Are... Are those dragon scales?" He slowly and cautiously approached the forge. "And they're... Black." He turned his head to me, slowly. "Hiccup, what...?" He seemed to be fighting the only logical explanation.

"I really did shoot down that Night Fury." I used a pair of tongs to spread out the scales. Fishlegs was just staring at me, not saying anything. Astrid walked between Fishlegs and the exit, just in case.

"You mean... You killed a NIGHT FURY and didn't TELL ANYONE?!" He wasn't quite shouting, but I still needed to stop him from getting any louder.

"Fishlegs, quiet down. I didn't tell anyone because I didn't kill him." Fishlegs gaped at me, apparently shocked into silence by my statement. I stoked the forge a few more times before reaching in with some pliers. "I couldn't kill him. He was tied up and completely at my mercy, but I couldn't do it. So I cut him free. And the strangest thing about it is, after I cut the ropes, he didn't kill me. He pinned me to a rock, roared at me and then tried to fly off. As it turns out, I'd ripped off his left tailfin when I shot him out of the air. Now he can't fly without my help." I looked back over to Fishlegs, who was still staring at me. He was, however, capable of talking again.

"He can't fly... Without your help. Hiccup... How can that possibly be true? There's no way anyone could ever ride the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself! Did you really think I'd believe that?" He looked back over to the scales, and in that moment of silence I tried to regain control of the conversation.

"Fishlegs, please stop talking and let me fini-"

"But, how would you have the scales... And the painting... You mean, the painting- THAT'S WHAT A NIGHT FURY LOOKS LIKE?!" His large hands flew up and clamped to his head, knocking his helmet onto the workbench next to the forge, scattering an assortment of tools to the floor. Knowing that would have echoed out of the building, I stopped what I was doing and turned to him completely.

"Fishlegs, really! Please stop rambling and let me finish what I have t-"

"How could you have... How did you get those scales without getting torn to shreds? And if it can't fly, why haven't you told anyone where it is? Hiccup, that thing is dangerous! If someone comes across where you've hidden it, they could be mauled! We need to bring your father to where this dragon is, we need to kill i-"

"FISHLEGS! Stop. Talking!" My patience with his nervous breakdown was wearing thin, and from the look he was giving me, I could tell he understood that.

"S-Sorry, Hiccup." He quickly walked over to the mess he'd made, grabbed all of the scattered tools in a large fist and replaced them on the workbench. Grabbing his helmet, he leaned against a nearby wall of the forge and slid to a sitting position. "Please continue." I shook my head and went back to work.

"Like I said, he can't get very far off the ground without my help. I've been flying with him for the last three weeks, but I've been keeping him a secret since the last raid. He isn't dangerous, and he's taught me that no dragon truly is. That's why I don't want anyone to know about him; I don't want him getting hurt. Because, as strange as it may seem, that dragon is my friend. And before Astrid and I started talking, he was my only friend on this island. I hope you can understand why I'd want to keep his existence a secret." I looked down at Fishlegs, who sat there, staring at the floor. After a few seconds, he slowly nodded. My stomach finally unclenched. I had an audience with Fishlegs. "Good. Now, if I were you I'd get as comfortable as you can down there, because this is going to take a while to explain." He shifted a little, and looking down again showed me he was now lying on his back with his fingers laced together on his stomach. His eyes were aimed, unblinking, at the ceiling.

"Alright. I'm listening."

* * *

A little over an hour later, I'd covered the entire experience of meeting and befriending Toothless, intentionally leaving out the location of the cove and the fact that I understood Dragonese. I still wasn't certain Fishlegs wouldn't turn on me the second he was given the opportunity, and I had a distinct feeling he wouldn't believe in the slightest that dragons had a language. Despite that, he hadn't objected to anything I'd said so far, and the blank stare he was wearing on his face had slowly been replaced with a look of concentration as the story unfolded. After Astrid and I finished revealing the Red Death, Fishlegs sat up and leaned against the wall of the forge, clenching his hands together in his lap. For the first time in an hour, he spoke.

"So... Is this all real? How... Can it be real?" He was staring at a far corner of the forge, not looking at either Astrid or I. His question wasn't aimed at anyone in particular, and I wondered if he'd even realized he had said it out loud. Astrid decided to answer him, considering she'd done most of the talking for the second half of our story.

"I still have a hard time accepting it sometimes, but believe me, everything Hiccup and I just explained is true." She left her seat on the workbench and walked over to Fishlegs, who had returned to his feet. "And it's only the beginning. If our parents ever find out where the nest is, they'll try to take it. And unless we do something before then, they'll all be killed." Terror struck his face.

"It... It can't be that... That bad, that big, can it? Would they really all... Die?" His response was slow and crackled. I could tell by the way he was talking that he was trying his hardest to not believe what she had to say.

"Fishlegs, listen to me. The Red Death is way too big to take on with normal Viking weaponry. Our parents would have no idea what they'd be walking into. The only way we can stand a chance against that thing is with the dragons, but if we plan on using them, we're going to need help." Astrid turned back to me, glancing at the tailfin sitting in the hearth. "Hiccup, you should let that cool off and put it away. We're going to have to get to the Meade Hall soon, and after that you need to go let Toothless know he's going to be meeting someone else just after sundown tonight." I nodded, knowing well that the sooner we had the help of all of our friends, the sooner we could start Dragon Taming. I finished mounting the scale I was working on, threw the rest of the free scales back in their bucket and pulled out the nearly-finished tailfin with my pliers. The fin kept glistening for a few seconds after I pulled it from the fire, but quickly stopped as it began to cool. Once the scales no longer looked wet, I reached out and lightly pressed a finger against it. As I'd figured, the scales were barely warm.

"Amazing... Hiccup, that's already cool?" Fishlegs slowly inched over to inspect the tailfin, as though afraid of the scales it was made of. I placed the fin in my hand and opened it so he could get a better view, and after letting him gawk for a few seconds, I closed it and hid it away in my workshop. Returning to the hearth of the forge, I had a final question on my mind.

"So, do we have your word you won't tell anyone about this?" I said as I walked up to him. He looked down at me for a few seconds before answering.

"If you can actually show me a Night Fury that responds to the name 'Toothless' and doesn't try to incinerate us, I won't say a word to anyone." Fishlegs shook his head. "I'm still not sure I believe it, though. But I'll keep my mouth shut until you can prove it to me."

"Deal. Meet Astrid and I in the plaza at dusk. We'll take you to him then." Fishlegs nodded, and with that, we left for the hall.

* * *

I quickly ate through an uncomfortably quiet lunch with Snotlout and the twins and then hurried out to the woods alone. I felt like going on a long flight before returning to the forge, and considering Astrid would be busy for the next few hours with axe practice, I had nothing else to do. My mind slowly drifted to Toothless, and soon I'd found myself daydreaming of us splitting open the clouds. I stayed there for a little while before the unceremonious crumpling of leaves snapped me back to reality. Not slowing my pace, I kept walking, making sure to avoid stepping heavily while I listened for anything else unusual. Again, I heard a light rustling of foliage, this time followed by a faint, muffled word. Cursing under my breath, I began taking a very scenic route to Toothless Cove in the hopes I could lose whoever was following me. I continued wandering and listening, eventually bursting into a sprint when I no longer heard anyone nearby. I reached a back entrance to the cove and slid into it quietly, hoping whoever was following me hadn't noticed. I climbed down to the bottom and made for the den, which was housing a large mass of sleeping black scales. Toothless's bright yellow-green eyes popped open, and with a stretch he ambled out of the little cave.

"Afternoon, bud. Sleep well?" I grabbed the riding tack and started equipping it to him as he nodded in response. I threw on my riding vest, gathered a large fishing net from the den and jumped to my seat. Ready and waiting, Toothless wasted no time getting us into the air and to the ocean. After another successful catch, we'd landed in one of our usual resting spots: a massive field of dragon nip. Toothless made himself a veritable cocoon of nip and began to devour his large collection of freshly killed fish as I sprawled back in the grass next to him. I stared at the thickening cloud cover as I began to speak.

"So, I think someone was trying to follow me through the woods today. I'm sure I lost them, since I ran the long way around the cove and squeezed in through that crack in the rock wall, but we should still be careful when we go back. Last thing I want is Snotlout seeing us land." I put my hands behind my head and closed my eyes when Toothless responded.

"_Is there any reason why you think it was him and not someone else? Other than the fact that he constantly targets you, I mean."_ I translated the grumbling coming from the bundle of grass next to me and sent my logic in return.

"Well, whoever was following me was careless, since they managed to mumble loud enough for me to recognize it as a voice. Say what you will about grown Vikings being belligerent, but when they're stalking something, they're usually dead silent. Besides, I really doubt an adult was following me, since they all still don't really care what I do in the woods." I furrowed my brow a little in thought. "The only person it really could be is Snotlout. Astrid has no reason to, the twins were heading to the docks when I left the Meade Hall and Fishlegs..." My voice trailed off. I'd almost forgotten the main reason I'd come out here. "Well, Fishlegs knows about... All of this. And he wants to meet you tonight. We're not doing it in the cove, though. Other than Astrid, I don't want anyone knowing that the place even exists." I heard Toothless purr in agreement before he spoke again.

"_Have your mate bring him here, to the nip field. It's as good a place as any." _I grunted in agreement, but rolled my eyes at Toothless calling Astrid my 'mate' again.

"Sounds like a plan. And would you stop calling Astrid my mate? Just because we spend a lot of time together doesn't mean anything..." Toothless laughed a little when I said that. I slapped my hand to my head as he responded.

"_Oh, quiet, Hiccup. I'm just having a little fun. Even so, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Focus on the task at hand and let your relationship with the girl take its course. I doubt you'll be disappointed."_ I couldn't resist a small smile when I'd translated that.

"Thanks, Toothless. I'll try to keep that in mind. After all, I do have more important things to worry about than Astrid. I suppose I should focus more on them."

"Yeah, stop focusing on Astrid. That's my job. And who the Hel are you talking to, you little wimp?" I shot straight up when that voice broke through the air, the blood in my veins feeling as though it had crystallized.

"S-Snotlout? What, uh, what a-are you doing he- uh, here..?" I jumped up and walked in front of the large mound of dragon nip that hid Toothless, hoping beyond hope that Snotlout wouldn't notice that bulge of grass hiding not ten feet behind me.

"None of your business, Useless. Now who are you talking to?" He looked around the field. "I don't see any old guys. Who were you calling 'toothless'? Or have you finally lost it?" He laughed. "Not that there's anything in that weird-ass head of yours worth keeping to begin with." I heard a low, irritated grumble come from the grass behind me.

"_Insolent little _child._ I should teach him to watch his mouth..."_ Oh, this was bad and getting _worse._

"NO! I mean, uh... No... There's no one, uh, here. I'm just... Relaxing! By myself. And talking. To myself. Alone." In my nervous, anxious state, I didn't notice Snotlout's left hand shoot forward and grab my shirt.

"Perfect. We're alone, I've got a handful of your shirt, and no one's here to protect you. Why don't you try dodging this?" With a swift swing, his fist came forward and nearly connected with my jaw when I turned and swiped my left leg under Snotlout's right, bringing him to the ground. Still holding me by my shirt, he dragged me down with him. After a slight struggle I managed to pull myself from his grip and stand back up.

"Snotlout! Can't you act like a decent human being for once and just leave me alone? Go back to the village, and quit following me through the woods. You're not going to get what you're looking for by force, so stop trying." I straightened my shirt and vest, stepping back as he leapt to his feet.

"What are you talking about? You can get anything with force." His blunt statement irritated me. It's rare for me to get angry, but Snotlout's always had a way of getting under my skin. "Well, looks like little Hiccup's angry! That look doesn't work very well for you. Why don't you let me help you get rid of it?" He lunged forward at me, trying to knock me down. I dodged it the first time, but his second attempt was successful. He had me pinned to the ground on my back, only an arm's reach away from Toothless. "So, if I knock out a few teeth, will that keep you from showing off that ugly smile of yours?" I was about to try pulling myself out from underneath him when a **very** angry growl came from just to my left.

"_He's had his fun, but I think it's time it ended._" I was frozen in place just as Snotlout was, but for an entirely different reason. Revealing Toothless now could blow our entire plan, but I wouldn't have much of a chance at stopping an angry fire breathing reptile who weighs several times more than what I do.

"TOOTHLESS, STOP-" Too late. In a flash, the grass concealing my best friend was shredded, and with a swift flick of Toothless's tail, Snotlout had been knocked off of me and into the tall blades of nip we had been arguing in. I jumped to my feet as Snotlout's terrified cries broke through my thoughts.

"**RUN!**" Snotlout scurried to his feet, only to have Toothless knock him down again. With a leap, he pounced on the burly teen. A high-pitched scream echoed across the field, and with an urge to laugh I'd realized Snotlout was screaming like a child.

"Snotlout, calm down. He's not-"

"HICCUP! PLEASE, HELP ME!" The utter terror in his voice suddenly made me feel dirty. Despite being put through seven years of Hel from him, I knew I couldn't let this continue. I wouldn't be a bully now that I finally had the upper hand.

"Alright... Toothless, get off of him. I think he's learned his lesson about attacking me." I walked over to the dragon and scratched him behind one of his right ear flaps.

"_Are you sure? I barely even touched him."_ Toothless gave me a look of near-confusion, apparently wondering why I'd abandon the chance to get revenge on my own personal tormentor. I glanced down to Snotlout, who was still terrified and now, pale. He quietly tried talking.

"Hiccup, wha-" He was cut off by a growl.

'Toothless, please. Off." With a reluctant nod, Toothless backed off and sat on his haunches next to me. Snotlout slowly lifted his head up to us, his eyes as wide as Gobber's stomach.

"H... Hiccup... How... That's a... D-d-d..." He looked as though he might pass out at any second.

"Yes, Snotlout, it's a dragon. Specifically, a Night Fury. And there's no reason to fear him unless you're trying to hurt me." Snotlout stared at us in silence for a few moments before quickly leaping from his place in the grass. He started running to the forest in the distance, not bothering to look back at us. To my left, Toothless began purring.

"_He's going to tell the village if we don't stop him, you know that, right?"_ He focused an eye on me.

"Don't worry about it. We're nowhere near the cove, no one in the village will believe him in the slightest and either way he's probably going to be lost in that forest for a few hours. He didn't even leave in the right direction. The village is over that way." I heard Toothless cackle a bit as I pointed in the opposite direction.

"_Still, we should probably remind him not to tell anyone."_ Toothless's ears twitched slightly as he stared in the direction Snotlout fled. "_I can still hear him running. Might we have a little more fun with him?"_ I considered for a moment, and with that, I had an idea. Wordlessly, I jumped on Toothless's back.

"Let's go pick him up and then fly off to one of the outlier islands. If he can't run, I think he'd be more inclined to listen." Toothless grunted and took off, and within seconds we'd caught up to Snotlout. With a fell swoop, Toothless gathered the terrified boy in his claws and then headed for an island in the distance. It was far enough away that no one would notice us or even be able to reach us if they did. Toothless landed, dropping Snotlout without warning as we neared the ground. I jumped to the ground just as Snotlout regained his bearings and stumbled to his feet.

"Hiccup, what- What are you- WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH A DRAGON?!" He spun around again, apparently looking for an escape route. Failing to find any, he turned back to me. "What were you planning on doing... Here with me? Not..." He looked at Toothless. "You're not gonna try and get... Revenge on me or anything, are you?" I shook my head in response.

"No, Snotlout. If I was planning on getting revenge on you, I wouldn't have asked Toothless to let you go. I already had you at my mercy, and I gave it up." He looked at me wordlessly. "Look, this is a long story and to be honest I don't have the time or the patience to explain it to you right now. I just want you to know a few things before I bring you back to Berk. One, dragons aren't anything like what we think they are. Two, This entire three-hundred year war hinges on a single, massive dragon queen that we don't have a chance against without the help of the dragons. Three, if our parents ever find the nest, that queen will slaughter all of them. If you blow this for me, if you tell everyone on in Berk what I'm doing, you will single-handedly bring about the deaths of everyone we know." I thought for a second while Snotlout stared at the sight of Toothless crooning at my hand scratching him below the jaw. "Oh, and if you keep your mouth shut and actually listen to me for once, you'll be training a dragon of your own. Probably the Nightmare."

"The Nightmare... What are you talking about? Training? " My mind kept flashing back to Fishlegs's reaction. Would the twins have just as hard a time with this as either Fishlegs or Snotlout?

"Yes, the Nightmare. As in, you'll be taught how to trust, care for and eventually fly with her. She'll learn to do the same." I walked over to him and looked him in the eye. "I'm going to need the group's help on this, otherwise the war is never going to end. But no one else can find out, so please, don't say anything." He stared at me, still with eyes as large as dinner plates. "Deal?" His blank stare faded into a scowl.

"Of... Of course not! You're siding with the dragons! Once the village finds out about this, they'll tie you to a mast and ship you off with the rest of the outcasts!" He pointed out to the ocean.

"Oh? And how are they going to find out about this when the only way back to the island is by dragon?" I hoped the comment would finally deflate him.

"You- You wouldn't leave me here. You're too nice." I shook my head at him.

"I'm nice, to a point. But after seven years of putting up with you constantly bothering me, my patience is running very thin. With you, at least. So yes, I would leave you here. At least until I know you won't be telling anyone about this." I stared him down for once, waiting for a response. He glanced between Toothless and I, staring intently at the far island we called home.

"You little... No. I'm not doing it. I'm not agreeing to anything. And I'm not listening to anything else. Now bring me home." His arrogance still stood like a mountain, and I'd had more than enough of it.

"Were you not listening to me? Snotlout, I will leave you here." I gave him an incredulous look as he backed away from Toothless a little more and slowly nodded his head at me with a grin on his face.

"Sure you will, Hiccup. And when I'm not around after sunset, what are you going to tell the others?" He was apparently certain that statement would win him the argument. Never the most observant Viking, Snotlout missed the gaping flaw in his logic.

"Hm. What will I say to them?" I put my hand to my chin, pretending to be deep in thought. "Oh, I know! 'I have no idea where Snotlout is. I haven't seen him since lunch.' Yeah, that'll probably work. I mean, what am I, your personal _keeper?_" I hopped back in the saddle, and with a familiar click, Toothless and I took off. I could hear Snotlout screaming something unintelligible at me, but within seconds he was completely drowned out by the wind.

We did a few stunts over Berk to calm my nerves before landing back in the cove. I gave Toothless a quick scrub down and then made my way to where Astrid had told me she'd be practicing. I found her sitting on the ground near a scarred pine tree, cooling off and sharpening her axe. When she heard me coming, she stood and stretched.

"I figured you'd be with Toothless for longer. Was he fine with meeting Fishlegs so soon?" Astrid asked as she checked out her axe.

"He was fine with it, but we're not meeting in the cove. I don't really want anyone but the three of us knowing about that place." Astrid nodded and put her axe back in its holster.

"Not to interrupt you, but we should just get going back to the forge. I've done enough practicing, I think." In silent agreement, I turned with her to walk back to Berk as I continued.

"I'll need you to bring Fishlegs to the dragon nip field, since it's far enough from the cove and we both know where it is." Astrid gave me a slightly perplexed look before questioning me.

"Well, alright, but I thought you would want to keep that place a secret too? I mean, Toothless loves that field." I nodded and sighed.

"Well, I did, originally. But earlier today, Toothless and I went fishing and then landed in that nip field so he could eat. And then, uh..." I trailed off, still thinking about how I wanted to word this.

"Then... What, Hiccup?" I focused my eyes away from her and responded.

"Snotlout kinda wandered into the field and saw us. And then freaked out and ran for the trees." Astrid nearly dropped her axe in surprise.

"HE WHAT?!" She stopped me in my tracks with a firm grip on my shoulder. "What did you do to keep him quiet? Did he get away? If he gets to the village, we could both be in deep sh-"

"Astrid! Relax. I didn't let him go anywhere." I put my hand on hers and led it from my shoulder. Slightly calmer, she and I started walking again. "Toothless and I sort of ... Kidnapped him. And when he wouldn't listen to me, we may have left him stranded on one of the islands near Berk." I heard a slight snort come from Astrid's throat.

"You... _Kidnapped_ Snotlout? You kidnapped him and left him on an island only reachable by dragon." She let out a light chuckle. "Add that to the ever-growing list of things I could never have imagined you'd be doing." She punched me on the shoulder again in her usual joking manner. I smiled and nonchalantly rubbed the area as she continued. "First Fishlegs, and now Snotlout... Looks like we're gonna be out late again tonight." I nodded in silence, slightly irritated that I'd have more of my father's comments to deal with come tomorrow.

"Yeah. And I'm still not sure how we're going to get Snotlout to keep his mouth shut, other than leaving him on that island. Which doesn't sound like a bad idea, to be honest." Astrid grinned before replying.

"Well, if everything goes well with Fishlegs tonight, we can explain the situation to him. I'm sure he'll be able to help. Though I have to agree, leaving Snotlout on an island by himself for a few days does sound pretty enticing." We shared a small laugh as we exited the trees into Berk and headed for the empty smithy.

* * *

Hiccup had left for the cove after we finished in the forge near sundown. I made for the plaza to wait for Fishlegs when I saw him pacing near his house. I walked over to him and heard him having a panic attack.

"...won't eat me, Hiccup and Astrid won't let him. But it's a _dragon_ we're talking about here! You can't control a wild animal! I'll be torn to shre-AH! Oh! Uh, Hi, Astrid. Was I taking too long? I was walking out the door to meet you and I... Had a bit of an existential crisis realizing that if you guys are telling the truth then our entire lives have been a lie, and, well, it's..." He pulled in a large breath to continue, but I cut him off.

"Fishlegs, you're rambling again. Stop it. Everything is going to be fine, alight? Let's get going." I turned and headed for the forest, grabbing the cuff of Fishlegs's vest to make sure he followed suit. We passed the border of trees, and once I'd gathered my bearings, we headed to the dragon nip field. We were following a path of axe-marked trees that I knew would lead us to the field in question.

"So, uh.. Where's Hiccup at? I thought I'd be meeting the both of you." He looked around again, apparently looking for the Dragon Trainer in question. I turned my eyes to him and responded.

"Hiccup went to get Toothless from the cove. We're meeting up in a field because Hiccup wants the cove's location to stay a secret." I stopped by a tree covered in axe marks and ran my hand over them. I glanced around, and after seeing another marred tree, I changed my path a little and kept walking as Fishlegs spoke again.

"I can understand. It's not like anyone's given him any reason to trust them. Except you, I mean." His eyebrows went up a little as he turned his neck-less head to me. "There's not... Anything, uh... Going on, is th-"

"Fishlegs, just shut up and follow me." The last thing I wanted to do right now(or ever) was talk about my... Feelings with someone. It was one thing to talk to Hiccup about it, but I wasn't about to talk about that with anyone else on Berk, with a possible exception being my mother.

"Uh, right. Sorry, it's really not my place..." He stopped talking, and with that, we walked in total silence to the field. I kept my focus on the axe-marked trees, though part of my attention was diverted upward. I was listening for the sound of Night Fury wings as the trees finally began to thin and our destination came into view. I walked into the tall grass first, heading toward the higher ground. Fishlegs waded into the field after me, running his hands over the blades. He'd apparently never seen them before. "Woah. This grass is much taller than any of the other grasses I've seen on the island..." He plucked a blade and kept talking while I scanned my eyes over the twilight sky, looking and listening for a distinct shadow and familiar screech. "Much more firm than the normal wild grass that grows near the farms. It smells almost like... Tea leaves. The blades themselves contain some sort of oily residue that leaves a pleasant cooling sensation on the skin..." He kept droning on about grass(of all things, considering we're here to meet a dragon) when I heard a very loud and very angry scream come from behind a tree.

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" I heard Ruffnut scream as Tuffnut came flying out from behind a few pine trees. Tuff had been thrown into the grass by his sister, who jumped in after him. The blades of nip around them were shaking as they wrestled, obscured by the nip.

"Oh, fffff..." I put my hands on my face in worry. Hiccup wouldn't see them as he came in, and I had no way of letting him know what was going on before it was too late. I immediately flipped around to the twins, but before I could try to yell at them to leave, the distinct whistle of the Night Fury's wings came from over the ocean. I turned my head to look for him, which proved difficult with the sun now below the horizon. "Oh, this is bad. You two!" I whipped back to the twins again, who were now lying motionless on the ground. "Shut up and don't go anywhere!" They just stared at me as the sound of flapping filled the air. Off in the distance, Hiccup came running up to us, Toothless galloping a ways behind him. Fishlegs froze when he saw the dragon up close, but didn't try to run. The twins still couldn't see anything, not having moved an inch since Toothless flew by.

"Evening, Astrid, Fishlegs." He turned his head to me and looked at me questioningly. "Astrid, what's wrong?" I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Hiccup looked from me to Fishlegs, and then to the disturbed bit of grass just behind us. He closed his eyes and smacked his hand to his head, sighing. "The twins are here, aren't they?"

* * *

Toothless may call me something of a pessimist at times, but I saw this coming. My plans always manage to fail at crucial moments, and here I am, standing in a field with a dragon and four other people instead of two.

"_It seems Astrid was a bit careless this time around. What are we going to do, Hiccup? I can catch one of them, maybe two. But I couldn't possibly hold the three at once."_ I nodded, and despite knowing it could make things worse, I turned and responded.

"We'll just have to play this close to the chest. We can still play dumb as long as they don't have any proof." Toothless nodded to me as Fishlegs stammered out an attempt at a sentence.

"H-Hiiccup, is, did that D-dragon just... Nod? At you? When you..." He stopped speaking and just gaped at Toothless. I looked to the twins, who were now standing and staring at the sight of me standing with my back to a dragon. Ruffnut opened her mouth, but didn't try to say anything. Tuffnut, on the other hand, had a huge grin on his face.

"Hiccup... Is that a _saddle_?" He walked forward slowly, his eyes locked on Toothless's riding gear. "You _flew_ in here? On this _dragon_? He let you put a saddle on him?" I nodded, and with a slight sigh I opened my mouth to speak.

"Yes. It's a long story I'm getting very tired of repeating, but I'd rather get it out of the way no-"

"Hiccup, that's great, but shut it. We can go over the history later, so just answer me some questions." Relieved he just wanted answers and not another hour-long diatribe, I nodded. "Alright. For starters, is that a Night Fury?"

"Yes."

"It never tries to bite you, or set you on fire, or anything?"

"No."

"Is it like a pet, or something?" I shook my head.

"No. Toothless and I are the best of friends. I don't own him."

"Hm. Alright... Now, this question is important: can you teach me how to fly on the back of a dragon? Because I've dreamed about doing that since I was five." A sweet relief came over me, washing off most of my doubt that this night was falling apart.

"Funny you should mention that. Like I said, there's a long story involved, but I'll keep it simple." I stepped back a few paces and placed a hand on Toothless's head, scratching his ear nonchalantly. I pulled in a deep breath and began. "Dragons are actually a very intelligent, peaceful race of creatures being controlled by a massive queen called the Red Death that's the size of a small mountain who could easily devour a Nightmare whole. If we get rid of the queen with the help of the dragons, they'll stop raiding us and we'll be able to live in peace with them. But the only way we can do that is if I teach all of you how to train the dragons in the kill ring in secret, because if our parents ever manage to find that nest, there won't be a single adult of fighting age left alive in the village." I caught my breath as Astrid spoke up.

"You're getting good at that." I smirked and nodded at her while Tuff kept talking.

"So we have to break like every Viking rule there is to save our entire village from the clutches of a huge Dragonlord? And we get to do it on our own _dragons?_" He turned to his sister, who was now standing right next to him, wearing the same devilish grin.

"THIS IS AWESOME!" They both cried in unison. Finally relaxed(and absolutely ASTOUNDED by my luck), I wrapped an arm around Toothless's head and starting scratching under his jaw when Fishlegs decided to join in the conversation, trying to point out a flaw in this plan.

"Uh, guys... How do you know if that R-Red Death is... Real?" Fishlegs looked worried, his eyes darting between all of us. Tuffnut stepped up to him.

"Hey Fish-for-brains, if you hadn't noticed, Hiccup's currently cuddling the neck of a dragon we were raised to think was a horrific monster." He pointed to me. "He could tell me he was Odin himself right now and I'd probably believe him. I don't need anything else." He turned back to Toothless and I with lights in his eyes. "Oh, this is gonna be the coolest thing _ever._ When do we start?" I let go of Toothless and smiled.

"Well, assuming Fishlegs is okay with all of this, we have to convince Snotlout to join our little adventure next. After that, we'll need to work together to get into the ring unnoticed. I was hoping the two of you might have a few varied ideas of how to keep the guard off our backs." Tuff just nodded as Ruffnut turned to Fishlegs and cracked her knuckles.

"If you blow this for us, I'll burn every book in the village. And then I'll break your thumbs." Fishlegs's eyes went wide and he quickly nodded, hiding his hands behind his back. "Alright, let's get back to the village. I'll beat Snotlout until he agrees with us." I noticed Astrid grin out of the corner of my eye as I held up a hand and shook my head.

"That won't be necessary. He stumbled upon Toothless and I in this field earlier today, and during a disagreement he forgot which one of us is friends with a dragon." I grinned. "He's been stranded on one of the islands of Berk since just after lunch." The twins burst out laughing, and so did Astrid again. I heard Toothless and even Fishlegs chuckle at it, as well. They quieted down and I continued. "I'll go fly back to the island, grab him and bring him here. We'll have to convince him ourselves before sunrise." The twins nodded at me, and so did Astrid. I looked at Fishlegs.

"Hiccup, this is going to be really dangerous. I don't like our odds of survival... But I can't really pass up an opportunity like this. If we can't reason with Snotlout..." He turned to Astrid and the twins. "I can hold him down. You guys do the rest." Tuffnut looked like he was close to tears of joy while Ruff started stretching.

"Go get the little snotface, Hiccup. And don't worry about the guard; Tuff and I have a few ideas to work with. Now go. We'll be waiting..." She winked at me, and with a small twist in my stomach, I nodded and turned away. It's not as though Ruffnut was ugly, by any stretch of the imagination. She was just far too... Rough, for my tastes. I took a hard breath and hopped on Toothless.

"Thanks, guys. I'll be right back." As we took off I could hear the twins whooping in the distance, mimicking my own feelings. Now I only had one more obstacle in my way before we really started Dragon Taming, and I had three newcomers to help me with it. The island came into view, and after a bit of scouting we found Snotlout curled up in a ball by a small, smoldering pile of embers. He shot up as we flew over, giving Toothless a perfect chance at grabbing him as we sped past. Ignoring his screams again, we flew back to the dragon nip field. It would be a long, sleepless night before training again tomorrow. I could only hope Stormfly would notice our lethargy and go easy on us, assuming everything else worked out.

* * *

**A/N:**_ Well, there's that. Next chapter begins the real adventure, and the largest departure from the film._

_I'd also like to thank Ferdoos for some grammar fixes in the story so far. If you see any errors, let me know and I'll credit you in the footnote.  
_


	13. Luck Like Gravity

**A/N:**_ The first chapter of the new year. I'm still working on updating as frequently as I did before, but now that these chapters have gotten so long I'm finding that increasingly difficult to do. I'm probably just going to abandon any pretenses of scheduling and just release them when they're done. No point in rushing it._

* * *

"Alright, guys, look. I'm sorry, okay? I won't say anything about the stupid dragon, so would you PLEASE UNTIE ME?!" Snotlout finished his statement with a rather loud yell, and for the hundredth time that night Toothless unsheathed his bladelike fangs and let out an angry growl. Once more he silenced Snotlout and let loose a bit of laugher from the rest of the group, Fishlegs and Toothless himself included. I chuckled a little as I threw another log onto our campfire, warming my hands lightly before leaning back on Toothless's side. As I watched the fire grow, Ruffnut responded to Snotlout's request.

"Oh, we know you won't say anything. Besides, who would believe you?" She laughed slightly as her brother continued the thought.

"Yeah, and even if he did say anything, we'd just tell everyone that Astrid finally clocked him upside the head and he's seeing things." Tuff laughed with his sister, stopping for a moment to address me in particular. "Man, I'm not trying to be an ass or anything, Hiccup, but why were you ever worried that someone would believe Snotlout about Toothless? I mean, come _on_. Everyone in this village sees how he treats you. They'd just think it was some stupid joke." He looked to Toothless, shaking his head in disbelief yet again. "Hel, you should've let him go to the village. They probably would've thought he'd gone crazy! I mean, really. You, _Hiccup,_ taming a _Night Fury?_" He turned his head back to the fire, poking it with a stick. "I never would've believed it if I didn't see it myself." Tuff shook his head again and went quiet, leaving the faint crackling of the fire coupled with Toothless's muffled purring alone in the air. Despite enjoying the soothing combination, I decided to speak.

"So, does anyone have any questions?" I scanned my eyes across the group as I asked. "If you do, ask me now, because I've told this story at least five times over the last two days and I'm not planning on doing it again." Astrid smirked next to me, lightly punching me on the shoulder.

"Quit your whining, you big baby." I rubbed my arm and mimed her grin, per my usual reaction to her 'violent' affections. "Hm. You know, I've actually got something for you, Hiccup." I raised an eyebrow and shot her a confused glare. How she could have any questions for me I had no idea, considering she'd been in half of the story I'd finished telling to the group.

"Really? What could you want to know that I haven't already told you?" My mind ran over every major point I could think of pertaining to the Viking-Dragon war. Not one thing came to my mind that Astrid didn't already know. She laughed at my confusion and replied.

"Oh, I'm not talking about something that _I_ don't know. I'm talking about something you _intentionally_ left out of the story, remember?" My eyes shot open wide and I grinned a bit at the memory. I had completely avoided mentioning Dragonese to the others for the same reasons I'd avoided telling Fishlegs, but now that everyone in the group both knew of and accepted the truths that came along with Toothless, I saw no reason not to mention it. I went to open my mouth when Snotlout interrupted me again.

"Seriously, guys. I'm not gonna do anything or say anything that would put Hiccup or Toothless in danger, so cut me loose already. I've been tied to this damn tree for like three hours now and these ropes are really cutting into my wrists." I looked from him down to my own wrists, my eyes glancing over a few scar lines I'd acquired over the years. Rubbing the rope-scars present there, I shook my head a little and looked to the twins, who were both looking at me and wearing uncomfortable frowns on their faces. Without saying a word, Tuff stood up and walked over to Snotlout, working at his ropes as Ruffnut quietly addressed me.

"Hiccup, you know, we're both really sorry about... Well, everything, really." She raised her eyes from the fire, looking at me directly. Her voice and facial features had a sincere quality about them. "I know you told us not to worry about it, but..." She sighed. "I've only been hanging around you as a friend for a little over two hours and I'm already feeling guilty about how we used to treat you." She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. "I've spent nearly my entire life pranking the entire village with Tuffnut, and not once did I feel bad about anything we did. You're making me a nice person, Hiccup. Stop it." I obliged her humor and gave her a smile and a laugh, Astrid doing the same. Using it as an entrance to our conversation, she spoke.

"He has a tendency to do that to a person. And if Toothless is anything to go by, Hiccup's going be changing more than just a few people." Astrid leaned back against Toothless herself, and with a huff he wrapped his tail around her and I. To my utter surprise, Astrid used his tail as cover so no one noticed her take my hand and squeeze it. She didn't let go.

"You can say that again." Fishlegs cut in. He hadn't spoken during his second time listening to the back story, but apparently he was just waiting until it was over before saying anything. "Even if everything you try to do from here on out falls through, Hiccup, you've still changed all of Viking history. Forever." I smiled at his comment when I heard a sigh of relief come from my left, just behind him. Out of the darkness walked Tuffnut and Snotlout, both taking their places by the fire. Tuff sat down next to his sister near the dragon nip field while Snotlout shot me a small glare and seated himself across the fire from Toothless. A bit of pressure in my right hand caused me to glance at Astrid, who was grinning and gesturing at Snotlout. Despite agreeing to stay silent, he was obviously uncomfortable with Toothless's presence. He glared at me again before turning all of his attention to the fire. In the quiet seconds that passed, Fishlegs cleared his throat.

"So, Hiccup. Astrid said you left out part of the story?" His reminder caused everyone in the group, Snotlout included, to look at me. My grin resurfaced as I considered how I would break the news to them when Toothless started purring quite loudly, his sounds vibrating both Astrid and I.

"_I can't wait to see the look on Snotlout's face when he realizes I have a better grip on his language than he does."_ I laughed at his comment, nonchalantly replying to him despite everyone looking at me.

"Yeah, I don't think he'll be too pleased with that. Then again, I doubt he'll believe me to begin with." Toothless shook his head a little, his right eye staring at me intently.

"_I wouldn't be so certain. They're already willingly letting their guard down in the presence of a dragon, meaning they've accepted your story as true. Knowing a dragon is intelligent enough to speak is a small step compared to accepting that your lifelong adversaries are actually peaceful creatures being controlled by a demon the size of a mountain._" I considered his comment in my head, realizing he had a pretty decent point. It really wasn't so much of a stretch compared to everything else, but I still had my doubts they'd handle it well.

"I guess you have a point, but I still think they're gonna have a hard time accepting the fact that you can talk." Toothless looked at me for a moment before nodding at my assumption. My eyes drifted from his back to the fire, noting the teens sitting around it. Every single one of them were staring at us, their mouths agape. I was trying my best to fight back the urge to burst into laughter as Tuffnut quietly stammered out a question.

"Wait. Did you just say... Toothless can... Did he just nod at you?" Tuffnut's amassment of incomplete questions led him to an apparent inability to speak. In the silence after hearing his name, Toothless let out a small grunt in response. Gathering the attention of Tuff and the others, he looked to them and shook his head in agreement. I heard Fishlegs whimper a little at the action as Tuff tried talking again. "...And he... Right." He turned his attention to Astrid, who was quietly choking back laughter beside me. "So, uh, am I losing it, or can Toothless actually talk to... Talk to... Talk..." The realization finally hitting him, Tuffnut went silent. He looked to me and stared for a moment before slowly lying on his back. Ruffnut and Snotlout had similar reactions, leaving only Fishlegs still staring at Toothless. He had a little notepad out and was scribbling away, moving so fast that it appeared he was trying to turn the entire page black. Astrid finally let out a laugh and turned to me.

"Congratulations, Hiccup. You actually managed to break our friends with one conversation." She kept giggling, the sound of which eventually goaded Toothless and I into laughing with her. Toothless's loud, low chuckle seemed to pull the others out of their collective daze, immediately causing Snotlout to jump to his feet, only to stumble back and fall over. The twins laughed at this, since childish physical humor tended to be their favorite kind of humor. Fishlegs, being the only one not distracted or tongue-tied, addressed the metaphoric(and physical) dragon in the room.

"Wait. T-Toothless... Understands Norse?" He glanced to the dragon in question. "And you can understand his dragon language? Hiccup, you've only been around him for a month... You're telling me you learned an **entire **language in thirty days?"

"Actually," interrupted Astrid, a smile on her face, "he learned Dragonese in two days." The look of shock on Fishlegs's face gave me a chance to slightly correct her statement.

"I had been noticing strange things for most of the month, really. There were times where Toothless and I would be alone and randomly I'd hear someone talking. I thought I was going insane until I figured out it was him I was hearing. After that realization the pieces just kinda fell into place." Fishlegs stared at me with an awestruck expression.

"An entire language in a month. Like I said, you have certainly changed Viking history. First, dragons aren't actually evil, then the Red Death, and now this." He shook his head. "When they build the statue of the two of you in the town square, do you think I could be in it? I'd like to be remembered, even if I'll never be as legendary as you." I was taken aback by his statement. Legendary? I had previously thought that what I'd accomplished would be the thing of legends, but I never fully realized exactly what that meant. I shook my head and addressed Fishlegs.

"Fishlegs, you do realize that if this is successful and the decision to build a statue is made, it won't just be me, right?" He stared at me, not comprehending what I was trying to say. "I mean, Toothless and I won't be alone when we fight the Red Death. All of you will be there with us, if things go as planned." My explanation caught the attention of Snotlout and the twins, and with her usual sly grin Ruffnut spurted out a comment.

"So what you're saying is, we'll all have statues in the plaza?" She turned to Tuffnut, who was wearing a near-identical smile. "Hear that, squirrel-brain? That ugly mound of shit you call a face will be around to scare countless generations of kids." She grinned at him while he processed her comment.

"Oh _yes!_ This just keeps getting better! I love scaring kids- Hey, wait a minute." He turned his attention back to his sister. "SCREW YOU!" With a growl, he shoved Ruffnut into the dragon nip behind the two of them. Their wrestling was half-shrouded by grass, though from what I could tell Tuffnut had the upper hand for once. Still, though, we didn't have time for their shenanigans, so I tried to interrupt the tussle.

"Ruff, Tuff, could you two stop it for a second and let me finish? We might still be able to get a little sleep tonight if you just stopped for five minutes." They ignored me, rolling even further into the grass. I sighed, thinking about how I might end their fighting, when Toothless broke my concentration.

"_Hiccup, let them keep at it. I want to see who wins."_ He let out another small chuckle. "_They're like two Terrors fighting over a half-eaten fish._" Thinking back to one of the days I'd witnessed that firsthand, I laughed at how accurate the description was. Astrid squeezed my hand to get my attention when she heard me laugh at Toothless's purring. I knew she wanted me to translate, as I'd been doing it for her all night.

"Toothless just said they look like two Terrors fighting over half a fish, that's all." Astrid laughed again as Fishlegs, surprisingly, stood up and walked over to the brawling siblings. With his large arms, he grabbed them both by their tunics, lifting them off the ground and away from each other.

"Look, you two can fight later. I still have some questions for Hiccup the, uh... The Legend." The twins went quiet in his grasp, and with a gesture Fishlegs tossed them back to their spots and sat back down himself. Smirking, I questioned the title Fishlegs had given me.

"Hiccup the Legend?" I pulled my hand from Astrid's momentarily and crossed my arms. "I can see what you're getting at, but it's not necessary. I'm fine with plain old 'Hiccup.'" I glanced from Fishlegs to the twins, who I had noticed looked very eager to speak. The feeling that 'plain old Hiccup' wasn't fine with them crossed my mind as Ruffnut leaned closer to the fire.

"Oh no. Hiccup, you need a title. Your dad has one, and so have all of the other previous Chiefs of Berk." Tuff nodded next to her, chiming in himself.

"Well, 'Hiccup the Useless' is just plain wrong, so we can throw that one away. How about 'Hiccup the Dragon Rider'?" Ruff rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, that title's so boring! 'Hiccup the Dragon King' is way better." I could sense their argument coming. With a sigh, I uncrossed my arms and let them fall to my sides.

"That's okay I guess, but 'Hiccup the Hero' flows off the tongue much better than 'Dragon King.'"

"Moron, Hiccup the second was called 'Hiccup the Hero.' You can't just take his title!"

"Fine. It's too plain, anyway. We should call him 'Hiccup the Dragonlord!'" I slowly glared at Tuffnut, deciding to interrupt their naming contest before it got any worse.

"Ruff, Tuff, just stop it. I don't want a title, and even if every Chief of Berk has to have one, I certainly don't need it now. Also, 'Hiccup the Dragon King?' The 'Dragonlord?' I wouldn't exactly say I Lord over anything, especially not dragons." Toothless crooned at me in agreement. "Besides, we've got more important things to focus on."

"You're damn right we do." Snotlout interrupted us, apparently tired of being unceremoniously quiet. "So you mean to tell me Toothless can understand us, and you can understand him. So, can only Night Furies talk, or can all..." He stopped, and suddenly his face went from irritated to angry. "Wait, that's how you did it! You've been cheating in Dragon Training since the beginning! You've really got so-" Toothless let out another growl at him, ending his tirade immediately. With Snotlout quiet, I nodded.

"Yes, actually. I've been rigging the training sessions with the help of the dragons in the ring. But I had to do it to keep you guys from hurting them or getting injured yourselves." Snotlout looked ready to argue again, but I held up a hand in hopes he'd listen to me for once. Surprisingly, he did. "I'm going to keep doing it, too. The only way I might be able to convince the village that dragons aren't what we think they are is if I gain their respect, and winning in Training is the best way to do it. It'll be a lot easier now that everyone's on the same page, too." I glanced around the group again, hoping none of them would be upset with my plans. Snotlout was the only one who looked like he wanted to say something, but thankfully he just grimaced and grunted in agreement.

"Alright. Uh, Hiccup... Could we try to wrap this up? I'm getting rather tired." Fishlegs spoke up again, asking me directly to get back on track. I obliged.

"Yeah, I think we could all do with at least a few hours of sleep, even if Stormfly's already thought of a plan to give me another victory." I let out a small yawn before continuing.

"Now wait a minute," Snotlout interrupted, a frown on his face. "Who the Hel is Stormfly?" I shook my head and stifled another yawn.

"It's the name Astrid chose for the Nadder. You'll all get to choose a name for your dragons, but right now that's not important. Lets just finish this and worry about everything else when we come to it." Snotlout quieted down again, letting me finish what I'd been trying to say before being interrupted by at least five different topics. "Alright, a few answers that I'm sure you're all looking for: One, anyone can learn Dragonese, as far as I know. Two, don't expect to learn it nearly as quickly as I did. Three, don't ask how I did it, because I'm still not certain, myself. Four, all of the dragons in the kill ring can talk, even the Terror. Five, I'm using my private forge access to build another saddle for Toothless, and after I get their measurements I'll be making saddles for all of your dragons, as well. I'll be doing those at night because they won't take as long to make and I won't have time before my week ends to do them anyway. Oh, and my bet with Gobber was rigged from the beginning, since I was checking on where the scouting boat was with the help of Toothless." I took a deep breath and continued. "I'm pretty sure that's it. Unless any of you have other questions, we should get back to the village. It's already really late, and if we're not spotted in the plaza by a night guard soon, they'll probably get a search party out to look for us. Or me, at least, since you all know how my father can be if I'm missing for too long at night." A mumble of agreement went through the group and before long we were all standing to leave, my hand slipping from Astrid's once more as Toothless pulled his tail from us. I stretched out and finally released the yawn that had been sitting in the back of my throat as Toothless walked over to the fire. With a flick of his paw he stamped it out, grinding the glowing embers into the ground. I patted him on the side as I hopped into the saddle, Astrid jumping up with me. She addressed the others before Toothless and I took off.

"I'm gonna go with Hiccup back to the cove so he doesn't walk back into town by himself. Like he said, you know how the Chief can get when he's out at night alone." I suppressed another smile, resigning myself to silence as I clicked the control stirrup in place. "We'll see you in training tomorrow. Let's go, Hiccup." I grabbed the handles of the saddle as Astrid put her arms on my shoulders. Noticing we were secure, Toothless unfolded his wings and began beating them against the night breeze. The flight back to the cove was quick, and within a few minutes we had touched down. I went through our usual landing routine, and after finishing with Toothless's brush, Astrid and I bade him a farewell as we climbed out of the cove.

"Well, that could've ended very poorly, all things considered. It's a load off my mind, but at the same time I still have to figure out how we're going to get to the dragons in the kill ring without anyone noticing." The thought had been in the back of my mind since realizing we'd have to do it, but I still didn't have any idea how we could pull it off. We didn't just need the guard to leave, we needed the entire village to be ignorant of what we were doing. If one of the dragons were to roar, everyone would be alerted that something was wrong in the kill ring and they'd show up faster than we could leave.

"We all have to find a solution to this. It isn't just you anymore." Astrid grabbed my hand again as she smiled at me. "Quit trying to do it all yourself and let the rest of us help. Or I'll punch you again." I smirked a little and glanced over to her.

"Why do I get the feeling you'll be punching me regardless?" I heard Astrid let out a small laugh before pulling her hand from mine and punching me on the arm. "Exactly. But I guess you have a point, Astrid. I'll try to keep it in mind." She punched me again before grabbing my hand, pulling me back to the village in silence.

* * *

"HICCUP!" My eyes jerked open once more that morning. I glanced to my father, who was standing at the mouth of the ring. There was a very large, wooden maze set up in the kill ring, one I assumed we'd be 'training' in. "Wake up and pay attention! Now, as I was saying, Nadder quills are poisonous, but not poisonous enough to kill you. What you really need to be wary of is getting hit by a few dozen of them, since they're thrown in groups. However, the most important thing to avoid is the Nadder's fire. As you probably know, it's the hottest that we know of, and being caught by it means certain death." He turned and threw open the cage door. "Everyone, in. Gobber, I want you to stay out here and keep an eye on the beast after you let it out. I'll be going in with them." Gobber nodded, walking over to the chain dome that made up the ceiling of the kill ring as the rest of us armed ourselves and entered behind my father. "Today, we've set up a maze you'll have to navigate." He turned and shut the main gate behind us just as the sound of a Nadder's chirp filled the air. I didn't hear any spoken word, though, so I ignored it and focused on my father again. "The objective is to work as a team to drive the dragon back to its cage. I'll be up on top of the walls watching to make sure you aren't killed, but other than that, you're on your own." With that, my father grabbed onto a rope ladder hanging from the chain ceiling, quickly hoisting himself on top of the large wooden walls. For a man of his stature, he had a certain grace about the way he kept steady on the narrow pathway the walls would provide. "Good luck!" I heard him yell, just as he leapt out of sight. We made our way into the maze, and choosing a path at random, I stopped and turned to Fishlegs.

"If we split up, it'll look like we're all trying to find her, which is what they want. Fishlegs, take this path and if you see Stormfly, make the fight believable but don't try to hurt her. She'll be doing the same thing." With a heavy, nervous breath, Fishlegs nodded and walked down the path. We kept moving, each teen taking a separate passage until only Astrid and I remained.

"So, did you intend on us splitting up too, or did you want some 'alone time' with me?" Every muscle in my body tensed when I heard how suggestive she sounded. I laughed nervously, hoping I might be able to stop her from taking the conversation to where I knew she'd be taking it.

"What? N-no, Astrid, that's, uh, not it... Not at all. I just wanted you to maybe get some more time in with Stormfly. And actually understand her." Astrid gave me the playful grin I was still getting used to seeing on her before shaking her head and turning down a random path.

"Sure you did, Hiccup. And for the record, you look kinda cute when you're nervous." Her comment caused me to stumble, wide-eyed, to the floor. Quickly pulling myself back up, I turned a flustered eye to her form, now doubled over in laughter.

"Yeah yeah, real funny. Let's take advantage of Hiccup's emotions for a laugh." Despite being mildly irritated that she was laughing at me, I couldn't help but smile at her. She might have thought I was cute when I was nervous, but she was absolutely angelic when she laughed. I admired her for a moment before noticing an odd feeling of excitement creep up within me as my overloaded brain finally comprehended what she'd just said. As Astrid stopped laughing and we continued walking, I decided to bring the thought up to her. "So, you really do think I'm cute then?" A wide grin came to my face as I noticed Astrid's cheeks turn a light shade of pink and her eyes go wide. From her shock, I'd guessed she hadn't realized the admission she'd given while teasing me.

"Ye- I mean, N... Hiccup." She stopped moving for a second and sighed. "...Yes, you actually are kinda... Cute." Astrid shook her head, almost in disbelief of what she'd just told me. "But don't go repeating that. It still feels really weird to me, being... Girly." She glanced up, making sure neither Gobber nor my father had heard her. "Good, I don't see anyone looking down at us." Right as she spoke, we both heard a very odd grunt-chirp sound, and with a crunch the looming figure of Stormfly looked down at us.

"_Morning, you two! You look just as tired as those identical loudmouths, the ugly one and the timid giant."_ She jumped down and began walking towards us, causing Astrid and I to step back. Stormfly may have spoken jubilantly, but she certainly didn't look happy. The untranslatable growl she was giving over her speaking chirps sounded rather nasty, as well.

"YOU TWO, WHACHA THINKIN'?! GIT GOIN'!" I heard Gobber scream from the chains above us. Stormfly quickly turned to him, launching a barrage of needles where he was standing. Unknown to him, though, none of the quills were actually aimed at him or any path he could have taken while dodging. The sight was comforting; if Stormfly could miss so convincingly, we didn't have to worry about accidentally being hit.

"_Stupid Viking. Oh, not you two, of course. Now, I want you to turn and run. I'll toss some quills at you to make it look natural."_ I nodded quickly, grabbing Astrid's arm and flipping us both around. We ran around the corner, hearing four or five darts slamming into the wall just inches behind us in a near-perfect vertical line. Sprinting a little further, we turned down a few more random pathways before stopping. Astrid readjusted her shield and held it up a little, looking around nervously.

"Hiccup, Stormfly's not... Mad, or anything, is she?" The look on Astrid's face was one of worry, and for some reason I guessed it was more for the dragon than herself. With a reassuring hand on her shoulder, I dispelled her concerns.

"Stormfly's not mad, she's just a lot better at pretending to be than the Gronckle is. Her growl may have sounded angry, but the chirps I was translating were actually pretty cheery. Probably because of you." Astrid slowly smiled, looking relieved. She shook her head and began walking back the way we came.

"I was wondering what was with those clicks she was letting off. Sounded completely different than her growl." She shouldered her axe and looked back at me. "Come on, let's get going. If we have to drive her back into her cage, we should probably do it now and get it over w-" Astrid stopped as a very loud chirp came from halfway across the maze.

"_Hiccup, take Astrid and keep moving! It'll look weird if you aren't trying to find me. You did tell me she was the toughest Viking of your age, so as far as the two warrior Vikings know she's eating this up right now._" I wondered how she knew we weren't moving as I motioned to the path Astrid was standing in front of. We started hurrying toward where I thought Stormfly was as I told Astrid what she had said.

"Since I know you'll ask, Stormfly was just telling us to get moving. Apparently her ears are so sensitive she could hear us stop. At least, that's what I'm guessing she did, unless she can look through walls and just hasn't told us yet." Astrid sniggered next to me as we turned another corner, running back into Ruffnut and Fishlegs. I heard Astrid suppress another laugh as we walked up to them; she must have been wondering the same things I was.

"Oh! Uh, Hey, you guys." Fishlegs looked a little nervous to see us. I tried not to smile as I waved to him. "Hiccup, uh, you did say Stormfly wasn't going to hurt us, right? Because she looked really unhappy to see me." Ruffnut laughed at him as we followed them to the spot where more unintelligible chirping was coming from.

"Yeah, I could hear you try to cover your mouth as you screamed and ran away from her. Real tough, you know that, Legs?" She elbowed him, giving him a grin that looked not unlike the one I wasn't used to seeing on Astrid.

"Ruff, please. I'm still getting used to all of... This. You can't really blame me for that reaction." She kept laughing at him as Snotlout came barreling around a corner, bounding off of Fishlegs and hitting the ground. He bounced up and immediately turned to me.

"Hiccup! I thought you said she wouldn't attack us!" He growled at me in as hushed a voice as his angry mood would allow. "The thing shot those damn needles at me!" Astrid gave him an angry glare and spat out a retort.

"That 'thing' is named Stormfly, and of course she attacked you, idiot, Hiccup said she'd make the fight convincing!" She looked him over, noticing his weapon gone and his shield slightly charred. "You threw your mace at her, didn't you?" If possible, Astrid became even angrier.

"Well yeah, but she dodged it. Then she tried setting me on fire." Astrid appeared ready to beat him with the flat of her axe, which she was now holding in an attack position.

"Which you would've deserved for throwing a mace at _my dragon!_" Astrid wasn't screaming, but she wasn't being very quiet. I glanced up, not noticing Gobber or my father. "Hiccup, let's get going. If I stay here I can't promise that Snotlout won't suddenly lapse into unconsciousness." She grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the sound of Stormfly chirping away in the distance. The others followed us, Snotlout keeping a fair distance back. Turning another few corners, we found Tuffnut heading down a random hallway. I gave a whistle, causing him to double back on us.

"Change of plans, I take it?" I nodded to him, still listening for more chirps. Eventually I stopped trying; I knew it wasn't necessary, since Stormfly would be coming to look for us when she was ready. "Man, Astrid, good call with Stormfly." Tuff's voice brought me back to the group rather than the situation we were in. He motioned his head back toward where he'd come from before continuing in a hushed voice. "She's smart, and damn is she accurate. The only shots that didn't miss me nailed every skull on my shield directly." He pointed to the four decorative flaming skulls painted on the shield, each with a quill protruding from their foreheads. With a grin, he turned to me. "I never should've had a bit of doubt in you about her." He cackled quietly before continuing his thought. "You have no idea how excited I am to live in a world where I can fly on a friggin' _dragon._" He laughed again, stopping mid-huff as a very loud 'thump' indicated Stormfly had just landed behind us.

"_Hi! It's time to start running. Hiccup, take them down the next left turn you can make, and then follow that to the ring wall. You'll be right by my cage."_ With that, she squawked angrily and shot a stream of fire just over our heads. I started running and turned down the path Stormfly had dictated to me, the others (and Stormfly) hot on my tail. Halfway to the stone wall, I glanced back to find Astrid still right behind me, but the others were a ways back. Stormfly was hopping along above them, firing missed shot after missed shot, sometimes using exposed shields as target practice. Though quite rushed, none of them seemed afraid of their predicaments, and within a few more moments we were all near the rock wall. She fluttered over us, landing off in front of her open cage. "_Alright! Lets finish this."_ She fired a quill at Snotlout, hitting the center of his charred shield with such a force that the wood splintered off of it. She fired a few more at our weapons, knocking them all across the stone floor. Astrid stood in awe of Stormfly's deadly accuracy even as her own axe was ripped from her hands. Completely disarmed, Stormfly began charging the group.

"SCATTER!" I screamed out to the others, and immediately we all started moving. The rest of them darted away down random paths as Stormfly approached, though as I'd figured, she was only after me.

"_Get around me and stand in front of my cage, then dodge. I'll do the rest."_ Her voice cut through my focus, stopping me in my tracks and pulling me completely around to look at her. I waited for her to get close before I leapt out of the way, pulling myself to my feet and running back from where I'd came.

"HICCUP!" I heard my father scream, though the sound was drowned out by the sound of Stormfly leaping from the perch she had taken atop the wooden maze wall, causing it to fall over, knocking down a few other walls in the process. I stopped in front of her cage as she told me to, leaping out of the way yet again as she quickly sped past me and collided with the back of her enclosure.

"_Ooh, too fast."_ She shook her head a few times, looking a bit dazed. She glanced at me, and with a happy chirp she pulled her doors shut, which I proceeded to lock with the nearby lever. "_Well, I think they'll buy that, even if I did shut my own cage in front of the Beas-" _She stopped mid-sentence, apparently realizing the connection between the Chief and I. _"I'm sorry, Hiccup, that's your... Father, is it? I apologize for the name, but I hope you can see it from my perspective. I am the one locked in a cage, after all."_ I leaned closer to the door, glancing back to see my father slowly walking over to me, a confused look on his face.

"Don't worry about it, Stormfly. Get some sleep and I'll see you later. Maybe even sooner than later, since the other students know the truth now." I quickly whispered the message to her, hearing another chirp as my father put his hand on my shoulder. I locked up, hoping he hadn't heard anything I'd just said.

"Good job, Hiccup. I didn't realize you were trying to trick it into running back into its own cage. Smart thinking." He used the hand on my shoulder to steer me towards the downed wall. "Come on, the exit's over this way. The others are probably on their way there now." We started walking as another chirp came from Stormfly's cage. My father actually stopped and looked at her door as I translated what she was saying in my head.

"_Tell Astrid I'm looking forward to our real training sessions."_ I whispered the words 'I will' under my breath, making a note in my head to give the message to Astrid when we were in the forge this afternoon. I was hoping Stormfly's acute hearing would pick up my response as she let out a positive chirp, loud enough that my father seemed knocked out of whatever trance the dragon's apparent erratic behavior had put him in.

"What's gotten into the damn thing?" He grunted in confusion as he turned to me. "Hiccup, what were you doing, talking in front of the Nadder's door, anyway?" I froze for a moment, but then pulled myself back together as a decent answer came to mind.

"Oh, I was just thanking Odin and Thor and every other god I could think of over and over again for that stupid idea working nearly as well as it did. If it hadn't I'd be a pile of ashes right now." My father gave me an uncertain look before shaking his head and chuckling.

"I can understand that. I did something similar right after my match with the Nightmare." He pulled his hand from my shoulder as we reached the exit, meeting up with Gobber and the others. "Trainees! That concludes the opening portion of dragon training. You're free to go and do as you like for the rest of today and tomorrow. On Moon's Day we start with the main course, so prepare yourselves." He turned to Gobber, who began walking back to town with him.

"So, Meade Hall then, Stoick? I think it's time for a lil' rematch in that 'Chess' game ya picked up from Johann. I'll win this time, an' ya know it." My father laughed at him as they walked away, the rest of their conversation unintelligible. We followed them back into town, falling behind enough for them not to hear anything we might talk about. Once we were a comfortable distance away from them, Fishlegs addressed me.

"Alright... Hiccup, what are we doing today?" I had a feeling he still wanted to interrogate me about Dragonese, but I had an entire day of alone time in the forge considering Gobber rarely worked on Washing Day.

"There's really not much for us to do in a group. Besides, I'm gonna be spending the rest of my day in the smithy working on the tailfin and saddle. After all, the bet's going to expire in a few days, so I have to make the best of it." Fishlegs silently agreed with me as we began walking up to the building in question. As we reached the door, I turned to the twins. "Ruff, Tuff, I'd appreciate it if you start working on ways to get the guard-"

"Hiccup," Tuff interrupted me, "don't worry about it. Ruff and I can take it from here, trust us. Just get in that forge and finish working already so you have more time to spend getting _our_ saddles done." He turned to his sister. "Let's go. I just had a good idea, and it involves taking some time out to piss off Mildew." She grinned in return.

"Ooh, we haven't done that in a while. Wanna steal his walking stick again? Then push him down some stairs and hide his sheep in the barn?" Tuff started laughing as they walked off, deep in conversation about what they'd be doing to Berk's oldest and most annoying inhabitant. I lightly chucked at them as I walked into the forge, Astrid right behind me. Snotlout mumbled something and stalked off, and after a polite farewell Fishlegs left for his house. I threw the cloth over the entrance, pulled off my bearskin and got back to work.

* * *

Astrid and I skipped lunch in the Meade Hall so I could get in as much time as possible working before we both left for the cove. The tailfin was done, and after getting into a decent rhythm, the saddle was coming along at a much faster pace than I'd originally expected. I was nearly a quarter of the way through with it, and considering how quickly the work had gone by I was guessing I would be finished it in another day or two. With that thought in my mind, I pulled the shimmering quarter-saddle from the fire, waited for the scales to 'dry' and carefully hid it away in my workshop with the completed fin. I began wiping the sweat from my brow with a work rag(making sure it wasn't underwear before bringing it anywhere near my face) as Astrid and I walked out through the now uncovered smithy door. Once out into the cold midday air of Berk, I basked in the chilling breeze for a moment before throwing my bearskin back on. I adjusted it a little as Astrid spoke to me.

"I think I'm gonna swing by the bathhouse and clean up before we go flying. You really build up a sweat in there even when you're not doing anything." I agreed in silence as I ran the rag through my hair a few times, throwing it through the service window into a bucket when I was done.

"Yeah. Now imagine how much worse it gets when you're standing directly over white hot coals and trying hard to focus on the tedious job you're doing while the girl on the bench spends most of the afternoon trying to make you nervous because she thinks it's 'cute.'" Astrid punched me on the arm for reminding her of that word.

"Really funny, Hiccup. I'll meet you at the cove when I'm done bathing." I nodded, and with a temporary farewell we went our separate ways. As I made my way to the forest, though, I heard my name being called in double. Turning to the source of the sound, I was greeted by Tuff nearly tackling me to the ground before dodging me at the last second. He stumbled and hit the floor himself, immediately leaping to his feet to look me in the eye.

"Sorry about that, Hiccup. Force of habit. Anyway, Ruff and I have some news." Tuffnut gathered himself to continue, but his sister cut him off(as she often did).

"Yeah! We've got a plan to-"

"Don't interrupt me! I was gonna tell him." I could see a fight brewing between them both again, but I didn't have the time to put up with it.

"Guys, could you please skip the part where you attack each other and get to the point already? I still have things to do." I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for the two of them to settle down. They shot one another angry glares before Ruff sighed and gestured to me, silently telling her brother to continue. With his token grin, he did so.

"Alright, so, you know how you made a bet with Gobber to get the forge, knowing you'd win against him? Well, Ruff and I just made a bet against our parents knowing full well we won't win." He looked pleased and triumphant with his statement, but I couldn't understand why.

"Okay, but why would you be bragging about starting a bet you know you'll lose?" I raised an eyebrow in bewilderment as I waited for a response. It came in the form of Ruffnut pushing her brother to the floor with a grin before answering me.

"That's easy. We bet our parents that we'd be nice to each other for a week, starting today. If we win, they'll never complain about us fighting again. But if we lose, Tuff and I will be forced to take our father's overnight shift 'guarding' the dragon ring for the next month. It's perfect." My eyes went wide as what she said registered with me. I was about to thank them both profusely for the help when Tuff grabbed his sister's ankles and pulled her to the ground, using her face as leverage to stand up.

"Don't thank us yet, though. Guarding the ring isn't a serious job, but it's still considered a lot for untrained teenagers to handle. They have to okay it with Stoick first, but I doubt he'll have a problem with it. After all, the ring's been around for two hundred and fifty years and only one dragon's ever gotten out, or so my dad says. Not to mention it only escaped because its door was too weak to hold it." Tuffnut finished his explanation as he quickly ducked down and pulled his sister to her feet, effectively stopping her from copying his takedown technique. "Anyway, we're gonna let the others know what's going on, and once that bet is in place we'll have a clear way to the training grounds. You'd better be ready for a lot of sleepless nights, Hiccup." I could tell from the anticipation evident on their faces that they were looking forward to this more than any of the others were. I grinned even wider and gave them both a nod.

"Alright. Go tell Fishlegs and Snotlout. I'll let Astrid know, since I'll be seeing her in a little while. And even though you told me not to say it, thank you. It's a huge weight from my shoulders." The twins nodded to me before heading off to bring Lout and Legs up to speed. Surprisingly, neither of them made to attack one another at all as they left for the town plaza. I assumed it was to make their bet seem more authentic as I slipped away into the brush behind me.

* * *

"Alright, are you ready? Remember, Toothless is right here. He'll catch you." Astrid nodded to me slowly as her nervous eyes glanced down again to the ocean far below us. Her pale-faced complexion stood as an obvious sign that she was deathly afraid of what we were about to do, but I knew how she was. Regardless of how terrified she might be, she wouldn't back away from something like this.

"Yeah, let's... Let's just do this. If you give me time to think about it I'll never go through with it." Astrid slowly pulled her arms from me, pulling a leg back over the saddle so she was sitting facing to the left. I locked Toothless's tailfin in place and did the same.

"Alright, whenever you're ready." She nodded slowly, grabbing my hand as she scooted to the edge of the riding tack. Toothless was watching us, and could easily tell how nervous she was.

"_Once she starts falling she'll be fine. Anyway, enjoy the trip, you two."_ Before I could tell him to let Astrid go at her own pace, he rolled, bucking both of us into a freefall. Astrid started crushing my hand in hers as we fell, though surprisingly she was silent. After a few moments, in fact, she seemed more than a little relaxed and let go of my hand. We stayed like that for a little while, freefalling with one another; I did a few flips that Astrid mimed, speaking some words I couldn't hear as she spun through the air. Toothless was falling beside us, laughing at Astrid as she slowly adjusted to the strange sensation of plummeting through the clouds. After several minutes of our airborne acrobatics, we approached the bubbling ocean currents below. Toothless spun over to us and took a position that allowed both Astrid and I to easily reconnect with him before he opened his massive wings and pulled us out of the dive. We leveled out and then shot back up, soaring through the clouds and coming to a stop far above the mist of Helheim's Gate. As we slowed back down to speeds more fitting to holding a conversation, I could hear Astrid letting off an exhilarated laugh.

"Gods, Hiccup, that was _amazing!_ I don't think I've ever felt so free before. It's really something else when you're up here." She wrapped her arms back around me, putting her head on my shoulder. "Do you think we might be able to go again? Like, a few dozen times?" I grinned and nodded, making to pull Toothless back up so we could go for a second run. However, he apparently had other plans.

"_Hiccup, stop. Listen to the Gate. Do you hear that?"_ I leaned forward and turned an ear to Helheim's Gate, listening carefully for anything. Whatever voices or sounds Toothless was hearing, though, were well out of the range of my listening capabilities.

"I'm not hearing anything, bud. What is it?" The look on Toothless's face was one of caution and worry, and it began effecting me, as well. His earflaps were twitching like mad, trying to pick up whatever sounds he was claiming were coming from the Gate. "Well, do you hear anything I should know about?"

"_Yes."_ he quickly interjected. "_It's the Red Death. She's letting off a mating call, Hiccup. It'll gather all of the dragons that haven't yet come back to the nest, and once that's done happening she'll most likely send them back out to gather more food for the coming winter months."_ His words cut through me like a knife as the realization finally struck. With a flick of my ankle, we turned and sped back to the cove. Astrid clamped down harder and whispered a question directly into my ear.

"Hiccup, what's going on? What's gotten Toothless so spooked?" The inflection in her voice told me she was as close to as nervous as I was. With an anxious sigh, I turned my head to her and answered her question, even if I'd rather not burden her with the knowledge.

"The Red Death is calling the dragons back home. Once they get there, she'll most likely send them out again. Astrid, we're probably not that far away from another raid." Her grip around me became viselike as we sped off toward Berk. I couldn't figure out how I could warn everyone without blowing my secrets, but at the same time I couldn't keep quiet, either. If I did, I'd be willingly letting more people from my own village die unnecessarily.


	14. Welcome to Dragon Taming

**A/N:**_ Welcome back! This chapter took me a while, so I apologize for that. Hopefully you'll like it as much as the previous chapters; I certainly do._

_I'm hoping the next chapter won't take nearly as long to complete as this one did, though now that I actually have an outline to work with, it shouldn't. I would not suggest writing a story blind. It's very difficult to make it flow well when you're making everything up on the spot. But I digress. Let's see how the first night of dragon 'taming' goes._

_Enjoy.  
_

* * *

We'd made it back to the village from Toothless Cove in record time. As I'd asked her to, Astrid headed off to gather the others while I returned to the forge to continue working. I was just pumping the bellows as she led the group in, directing them to the workbench she normally sat on while I began toiling away over the coals. I stayed silent, focusing as much as I could on finishing the tack while Astrid broke the news to them. They didn't handle it nearly as well as either of us had, and Toothless's assurance that we'd have a few days at least to prepare did nothing to raise their hopes. Despite that, I put down my work and turned to address everyone.

"Look, I know this probably seems like a lot for us to handle, but considering our ultimate goal it really isn't that bad. I mean, it's bad, don't get me wrong. But it's not as hopeless as you're probably thinking." I tried not to look as uncertain as I felt, though I had my doubts it was working. "We've got a few days to prepare for this, probably, and that means a few days to figure out how we're going to-"

"Hiccup," Snotlout interrupted me, "what do you think six teenagers can do about this? None of us are ready to fight off a raid. What we should be doing is warning the village so everyone can get ready!" With that, he leaned up from the wall he'd been resting against and turned to head for the door. Astrid cleared her throat and shot him a dirty look, grabbing her axe's handle in the process. He stopped immediately, apparently realizing she wouldn't hesitate to use it on him if he tried to leave. With a frustrated growl, he slumped back against the wall of the smithy, all the while staring daggers at me. I tried my best to ignore him and continued on.

"We have to approach this situation at a different angle. Trying to explain everything as it is to anyone in the village will probably just complicate things, not to mention raise a lot of questions as to how a group of teenagers predicted a dragon attack when ten previous generations of Vikings couldn't." I was sneered at yet again as Snotlout attempted to shut down what I was saying.

"Complicate? Moron, if we tell them about this they can hide the animals before it happens!" I stared at him for a moment before sighing to myself.

"Yeah, and then the dragons knock down every building in the village until they find what they're looking for. Normal Viking tactics aren't going to work here, especially for the six of us, so we're going to have to do something different. I'm thinking that if we can give the dragons what they're looking for, they'll leave the village faster and we'll have a lot less cleaning up to do. So, either we let them take half of our supplies for the winter months or we start gathering food now so we have enough to cover the both of us." I turned back to the forge when I was finished, determined to complete my work. I had a feeling I'd be needing better, fireproof riding equipment for what was awaiting us in the days ahead. As I heated the coals back up I noticed a small whining sound coming from the floor where Fishlegs was seated.

"Uh, Hiccup, I'm not trying to accuse you or anything, but are you implying we... Let them take our food? Isn't that kinda bad?" I glanced over to him across the hearth, wiping some sweat from my brow before addressing the question.

"Fishlegs, I'm implying we help them raid us." I could see the look of near-mortification of the faces of everyone in the smithy, but I powered on despite it. "I know it sounds crazy, but like I said, they never end a raid without taking what they need. We'll have to make up for the animals they do take, but it's not like we have any other options right now. That is, unless we can come up with something else." I turned my attention back to the saddle again, using a bit of pressure to meld some particularly difficult scales when Astrid's voice yanked yet again at my concentration.

"Hiccup, I understand what you're trying to do, but if we don't at least try to defend our supplies half the village is going to starve to death over the winter. We can't just let them take what they want!" For the first time in days, she seemed genuinely upset with me. I'd always hated seeing her angry or let down, but now wasn't the time to worry about it.

"Except we are going to just let them take what they want. We don't have a chance to stop them ourselves, but we can use their strength to replenish what we lose. Or did you forget that I'd intended to eventually take the dragons out of the kill ring?" Five sets of eyes locked on to me as they began realizing what I was talking about. "I'm not sure it'll be enough to make up for our losses, but we're going to be short on food this winter regardless. We might as well use the dragons to our advantage." I continued working on the saddle while splitting my brain in two over the idea of saying something to my father. On one hand, not telling him could end horribly for the village, but on the other hand, telling him could end horribly for me. I had a feeling he was skeptical of my unexplained victories in the ring, and the last thing I wanted to do was give him any more reasons to be suspicious of me. My mind continued with this tug-of-war, stopping only as Snotlout piped up again. He was considerably calmer, though, and with a closer look I could see him eyeing Astrid's weapon of choice.

"Hey, why don't we just tell the village we saw a bunch of dragons flying to Helheim's Gate? Wouldn't that work?" The suggestion was simple and straightforward, which was probably why I hadn't considered it. Yet again I stopped working, only this time it would hopefully be the last interruption I'd face.

"Actually... That might not be a bad idea. If someone tells my father that they saw a flock of dragons flying past Berk, he'll raise an alarm to be on guard, but he probably won't touch any of the livestock. I doubt he'd think much of it, either, as long as it isn't me who tells him. All we'd have to worry about at that point is getting the raiding dragons to leave." I fell into a moment of silence yet again, this time trying to cobble together a strategy when Tuffnut broke my concentration. Despite a mild irritation at being interrupted once more, I listened to him.

"Well, if that's the plan I guess Ruff and I can handle it. We've got a bet to lose, and after that we can tell Stoick about the dragons." He stood up from the bench with his sister, giving a stretch as Astrid turned to them.

"So Stoick was okay with the terms of your bet, I take it?" Regardless of the tension that had been mounting in the room, some smiles began to emerge. Not even the threat of a raid hanging over us was enough to cut through the excitement of bonding with dragons rather than maiming them.

"Yes he was!" Ruffnut exclaimed. Her usual mischievous smile had returned in full force as she shoved her brother to the floor. "Everybody was laughing about it, too. They kept acting like we were about to get screwed over for a month because there's no way we'll win this bet."

"Damn straight." Tuff popped up from the floor as he spoke and shoved his sister through the cloth-covered doorway. The sound of her tripping over some buckets and hitting the ground entered the smithy, followed by a few choice curses. With a bit of a hop in his step, Tuffnut made for the source of the sounds just outside. He stopped halfway to the door and turned to us to finish his thought. "We'll go get our 'punishments' now. Chief said that if we can't make it a day, we'll have to stand guard every night we're not training, starting tonight. So that's good." Ruff walked back in as her brother finished speaking, all the while staring angrily at the back of his head.

"Yeah, let's go finish this in the presence of witnesses. I'll be sure to make it believable." With a stiff arm she reached out and grabbed a handful of Tuffnut's hair, yanking him through the cloth. Their bickering and fighting made its way out of earshot as Snotlout grunted and looked at me.

"So what the Hel are we supposed to do? It's too damn hot in here to stay and I don't have anything else to do today." I glanced from Snotlout over to Fishlegs, who I noticed looked just as uncomfortable in the immense heat.

"So, I take it one time in here is enough for the both of you?" I chuckled lightly to myself, finding a bit of humor in knowing that 'weak little Hiccup' as I'd been known could handle the forge's heat better than the other teens. "Well, we're going to need a basket of fish for the actual taming process, so I'd appreciate it if one of you two could gather some. And remember: no eels. Other than that, you're probably best off finding a quiet, secluded place and grabbing a bit of sleep. I'm sure the twins will do the same, assuming they can after-" I was stopped by a commotion coming through the door. From the sound of my father's angry voice, the twins had lost their bet spectacularly. "After that." Snotlout gave me another glare before pushing off of the wall he'd been leaning on and walking out the door. Fishlegs followed him, looking more unsure of than upset with my plan. I continued working after they left, all the while hoping things would start looking up once we began taming the dragons.

"Do you think it'll be enough?" Astrid's question mimed what was going on in my own head while I worked on the saddle.

"Astrid, I really don't think we have a choice." I glanced away from the forge again, locking eyes with the girl in front of me. "If my father finds out what's really going on now, we're all dead. The best we can do is hope he takes the twins' warning seriously enough to prepare for-"

"HICCUP!" My father's voice rang out through the walls from the village square. With a startled jump I quickly gathered the supplies and hid them in my workshop while Astrid tried her best to clean the messy state the workbench had been left in from the others sitting on it. I hurried back into the main forge area to help with the cleanup when my father's voice came from just behind the cloth hanging over the entrance. "Hiccup, You're done with the forge for the day! Gobber's got a bunch of emergency repairs that need to get done now. You've earned some rest before Dragon Training really begins and I want to see you enjoying it. Now clean up and get moving." The sound of his heavy footfalls leaving the smithy area eventually faded as Astrid and I finished tidying up what was left of the mess the others had made. I hadn't had the quilt down from in front of the forge entrance for a few seconds before Gobber walked up pulling a cart filled with bent, broken and otherwise damaged weaponry.

"Ah, Hiccup. Looks like Stoick already toldja I've got work ta do. An' there's a lot of it, too, so you an' Astrid needta get outta my way for the evenin'. Go on, shoo. Ya need yer rest fer the big boys." He directed both of us to the exit before quickly returning to the weapons cart. Astrid and I left, deciding to head for the cove for another round in the air with Toothless after realizing we didn't have much else to do. Our walk through the brush was silent until we were far enough away from the village to be sure no one could hear anything we'd say. Once out of earshot, Astrid turned to me.

"So, what exactly is the plan for all of this? Or do we even have one?" I scratched my head in response. I didn't really have any idea of what the others could do during the raid, but I knew what Id' be doing. "...Well?"

"To be honest, I don't know what the rest of you will be doing. As for me, though... I'll be in the air. After all, it's the only place I'll be useful." I almost expected her to be mad at me for the comment, but instead she just nodded in agreement.

"I had a feeling you'd say that. But then again, it's where you belong, so I can't blame you." She gave me a slight smile and tugged on my sleeve. "But maybe we shouldn't think about that right now. We can strategize as a group later on. For now let's keep our minds off things." I didn't have any time to respond before she pulled me into a run toward the front entrance to the cove.

* * *

Compared to the time we spent in the air earlier, our second flight of the day was relatively uneventful; Toothless still didn't have any new information on the raid, and after the jarring interruption earlier Astrid didn't quite feel up to any more freefalling. We decided instead to coast gently through the clouds while the sun set below the horizon, both of us watching in awe at the spectacle of nature. I tried drawing the scene once again in my journal, but the combination of stirring winds and Astrid's constant questions about my artistic skills kept me from giving it the detail I wanted to. I gave up entirely once the sun had set, stuffing my journal into its harness as we soared above the twinkling lights of Berk. After admiring the sight for a little while longer, we swooped down for a landing in the cove. After giving Toothless a quick scrub with the wire brush, Astrid and I headed over to the Kill Ring to wait for the others. We arrived to see an already gathered group of teenagers just outside of the entrance gate, all eagerly awaiting our first taming session. Even Snotlout, despite holding a basket of foul-smelling fish, seemed excited to get started. Before we finally entered the ring, though, I took a quick look around to make sure we were indeed alone. Satisfied that no one was watching, I addressed the group.

"Alright. Now, I've never taught anything before, but it can't be that difficult, so let's get into the ring. But first... Ruff, Tuff, are you sure no one's going to come check on us?" Despite the lack of prying eyes, I was still wary that someone from the village would wander over at some point to make sure the twins were doing their jobs properly. Even with the forewarning the dragons could give me, I was afraid it might not give us enough time to escape unnoticed. From the identical grins on the twins' faces, though, I had a feeling my concerns were unnecessary.

"Don't worry about it," started Ruffnut. "The Chief kept going on about how us being out of the village's hair for a month is going to be a good thing. I don't think anyone would willingly come over here unless they thought we were in danger. Score to us for being annoyances." The two of them head butted each other as Fishlegs made to pull the lever of the kill ring gate. The sound of the rising chains clanking away seemed louder than normal, but once the gate was fully open my ears were met with nothing but silence. With a sigh of relief, I led the others down the walkway to the interior gate, which Fishlegs opened by hand with a bit of help from the twins. Once we were all inside, they lowered the gate and caught up with the rest of us, now close to Stormfly's cage door. Before I started our first lesson, I couldn't help but notice that the arena was completely silent save for the soft growl of anticipation coming from within Stormfly's enclosure. I had a distinct feeling the other dragons were listening to every word we said, waiting as patiently as they could for their turn. With that thought in mind, I decided to begin.

"Welcome to Dragon Taming. For lesson one we're going to do a little bit of bonding, and we'll start with Stormfly. Everyone step back and give Astrid some room. Snotlout, leave the fish here." Snotlout dropped the fish basket at my feet and joined the others in doing as I'd asked. With the four of them in the center of the arena and out of the way, I opened the basket for Astrid and made my way to the wall switch that would unlock Stormfly's enclosure.

"I'm ready." Before I could say anything, Astrid had a large cod in her hand and was staring down the door. I nodded and pressed down the lever, actuating the locking mechanism and popping the door open a little. Stormfly's snout popped out first, taking a quick huff of the air before pushing the door open all the way. Her growl was beginning to sound more and more like a purr as her eyes finally met with Astrid's. Without much in the way of caution, she walked right up to the confident Viking girl and carefully grabbed the fish from her hands before eviscerating it in one bite. With a lick of her lip, Stormfly leaned down to look Astrid straight in the eyes before offering her snout to the girl and crooning. Without a word, Astrid brought her hand to the dragon's head and began scratching her just under the jaw, to which Stormfly responded with some happy chirps. Astrid laughed along with her, apparently still in awe of her actions. The pair seemed so natural together that I momentarily forgot I was supposed to be teaching the others about bonding.

"_Hiccup, go let the other dragons out. Astrid and I are going to be fine. Besides, they're just as excited as the lot of you are, and I don't know how much longer they'll stay quiet."_ Stormfly's message ended with a simultaneous grunt of agreement from every other dragon cage, signaling to me to get on with letting them all out. I left the two of them alone and walked over to the Gronckle's cage, gesturing Fishlegs to follow me. With quite a bit of hesitation, he did so.

"Suddenly I'm not so sure about doing this, Hiccup." I gave him a blank stare before pointing to Astrid, who was currently sitting on top of Stormfly and scratching away at her neck. Fishlegs looked from the two of them to me, apparently trying very hard to find an excuse to back out of this. "Well, that's- That's not- The Gronckle might not-"

"Fishlegs," I said, stopping him mid-rant, "Calm down. It'll be fine." I threw him a fish and grabbed the handle to the cage, where I waited for a signal from him. He was shaking slightly and pale in the face, but despite that Fishlegs slowly nodded for me to open the door. With a loud click, the lock released and the Gronckle slowly pushed the door open with her massive head. She let out a happy growl when she saw Fishlegs and even had to stifle a laugh at the spectacle that was Astrid and Stormfly.

"_Took you long enough. That cage can get really cramped._" Her eyes swiveled from me back over to her prospective rider, and with a grunt she began walking toward him. "_So this is who you've paired me up with? I can't say I have a problem with it. Those twins are too obnoxious and I don't care for the other one's attitude much."_

"Hiccup, that... Sounded like a growl. Maybe this isn't such a-" Once again he stopped mid-sentence, silenced by the Gronckle grunting at him once more. He stood there, pale-faced as ever, but remained still enough to slowly raise the fish up as an offering. It seemed as though that was all he could will himself to do, considering the circumstances. Cautiously, the Gronckle moved forward and took the fish from him. I kept watching as Fishlegs put his hand up to the rock-like dragon as a final peace offering. After a few tense seconds she let out a purr of approval and pressed her head to his hand, much like Toothless had done with me.

"See, Fishlegs? That wasn't so hard." He gave a nod to my statement but refused to take his eyes off of the dragon he was now petting. He was apparently awestruck with the situation, too overcome to say or do anything more than stand there and blankly pet the Gronckle's snout. She seemed very calm, though, so I felt confident that I could leave them be. I turned to look for the twins, only to first see Snotlout standing alone near the gate of the arena. I tried to gesture him over instead, but rather than listen to me once more that night, he decided instead to ignore my gesture. With a sigh I pushed his stubbornness out of my mind and focused again on the twins, who were both already over by the Zippleback's cage with a few fish in each of their hands. Grabbing the handle with his teeth, Tuff unlatched the Zippleback's door and jumped back near his sister. The massive dragon quickly popped the doors to her enclosure open and ambled out into the night air. Four sets of eyes stared the twins down, apparently waiting for them to make the first move. Unafraid, the twins both offered up their fish to a separate head and waited impatiently for them to respond. Both heads quickly snapped up the fish, only to lean back down and open their mouths in wait for more of the same. With some loud laughing they continued feeding the dragons.

"This is everything my five-year-old self ever dreamed it would be." Tuff gave another laugh as he approached his dragon head, giving it a rough tackle and scratch down. The head was caught by surprise, letting out a spark in reply to Tuff's actions. Despite the roughhousing, the Zippleback seemed unbothered by the twins. "Cool, it's the sparking one. Hey Ruff, my dragon's cooler than your dragon." I shook my head and let out a sigh at Tuff's comment. Not this again.

"Idiot, they're the SAME dragon."

"_Yes, but also, no."_

"Then why does it have two heads?"

"_Technically, we're hive-minded, much like a colony of bees-"_

"Who cares? It only has ONE body!"

"_Do they do this a lot?"_

"But two heads mean two brains, and that means two dragons."

"You don't have ANY brains, but you're still only one person!"

"_This is getting tiring."_

"HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE TWO BLACK E- HEY!" To my surprise and amusement, both of the Zippleback's heads simultaneously grabbed the two Vikings and held them both upside down from their legs. Stifling a laugh, I approached the three(four?) of them.

"Looks like the Zippleback knows what it's doing. You two need to stay quiet, and stop arguing for once. You're here to bond, not bicker." The twins were replaced on the ground before the Zippleback's heads nodded in unison, agreeing to what I'd said. Once more they stared the twins down, only this time it was for them to quietly start attempting to build trust. Satisfied, I walked over to Snotlout.

"What are you looking at?" Snotlout's attempt at anger wasn't very convincing, and it was becoming clearer and clearer that he was even more afraid of meeting his dragon than Fishlegs was. Then again, it wasn't unexpected, since he'd be bonding with the largest dragon to frequent the skies of Berk.

"Snotlout, this isn't the time to have second thoughts. Besides, once you get this over with you'll be wondering why you were so afraid to do it in the first place. Now come on." I tried once more to persuade him to follow me, but again he refused. I slapped a hand to my head in exasperation when a memory I had resurfaced. "Look, we can either do this the easy way, or I can have the twins throw you into the Nightmare's cage. Your choice." Perfectly on cue like actors in a play, Ruff and Tuff appeared with their dragon in tow. Snotlout tried to scoot a bit away from them only to be stopped by the sound of a Nadder growling at his backside. Standing frozen in place, he finally crumbled.

"FINE! Fine, I'll do it. Not like I have a choice, anyway." He stomped off to the largest gate in the arena, though still keeping a bit of distance from Fishlegs and his Gronckle, who were now both lying on the cold stone floor. The others went back to what they were doing while I grabbed the half empty fish basket and dragged it over to Snotlout, who took a handful of mackerel and waited for me to open the Nightmare's door. With a click the lock disengaged, but the doors remained shut. Curious as to what was keeping her, I approached the enclosure and began pulling one of the doors open. From the small gap that appeared came the Nightmare's commanding voice.

"_Tell the one you're pairing me with to open the doors himself. I won't be ridden by a coward."_ I fought back a smile as I returned to where Snotlout was standing. Knowing him, he wouldn't take kindly to being called a coward, even if the one saying it was a dragon.

"Looks like you're on your own with this one. The Nightmare told me she wants you to open those doors. Apparently she won't let a coward be her rider." I laughed a bit as Snotlout's face changed to a bright shade of red. Surprisingly, he ignored me, instead choosing to address the Nightmare personally.

"Oh, so I'm a coward, am I? Let's see how cowardly you think I am now!" With that, he ran to the Nightmare's enclosure and yanked open the heavy steel doors as best he could. The moment the gap between them was wider than the Nightmare's head, however, she popped it out, grabbed Snotlout and pulled him into the cage, fish and all. Her tail snaked out into the arena and pulled the doors shut with a quiet thump.

"_The boy will be fine. I'm just toying with him."_ I heard her reassurance over Snotlout's nonsensical ramblings and immediately cracked a smile. I never imagined the dragon would actually hurt Snotlout, since it was essentially a death sentence, but I still, unfortunately, had certain gut reactions to the movement of the creatures. Still, I pushed them aside and went back to the task at hand. As I gazed around the arena, I couldn't help but notice that none of the other teens seemed to have realized what the Nightmare had done with Snotlout. I also noticed just as quickly that they were all doing very well with the bonding process. I decided to walk around to each of them so I could take the notes I'd need to build their saddles, as well as answer any questions they might have. Neither the twins nor Fishlegs had anything to ask, so after a few minutes of measuring and planning, I left them to head back to Astrid and Stormfly.

"Well aren't you two just adorable?" I tried teasing her a little with some sarcasm, seeing as she was now curled up in a ball of scales and wings. Stormfly was happily purring away with her head in Astrid's lap. The girl just grinned at my comment, apparently too overwhelmed to say anything in return. Stormfly, on the other hand, opened an eye and spoke to me.

"_Tell Astrid she really knows how to help a dragon preen. I never thought I'd find a human I'd like enough to go through with a bonding ritual, let alone a Viking."_

"Wait, WHAT?" My shock managed to bring Astrid back to normal, only to have her sneer at me a little.

"What's with the shouting, Hiccup? Did Stormfly say something?" She didn't sound concerned, but was obviously curious of my outburst.

"Yes. Apparently grooming a Nadder is their bonding ritual. And here I thought you'd be eating half a fish, but something tells me I'm the only one of the group to be forced to do that." I began taking saddle measurements from Stormfly while wondering what the others might be required to do when Astrid popped up from the ground and interrupted my note-taking.

"So you're telling me that Stormfly and I are... Bond sisters?" With a grin I nodded to her before moving back to her dragon to finish the saddle measurements. Just as I put my completed notes away I felt Astrid's arms quickly wrap around me in a hug that ended far too soon. She seemed to notice this, and with a quick glance around the arena to make sure everyone else was occupied, she gave me another short, sweet kiss on the cheek. It took me completely by surprise, knocking the support temporarily out of my legs. Astrid laughed at me before gesturing over to the Nightmare's cage and asking me a question.

"So, where's Snotlout, exactly?" She seemed more curious than concerned about his whereabouts, and after a moment of trying to remember how to talk, I was able to respond.

"Oh, he's just in the cage with the dragon. Don't worry, though. She's just playing with him." Just as the word left my mouth, the Nightmare's cage doors popped open and out came the dragon in question. Snotlout was sitting on her neck with his hands grasped on the dragon's large horns for support.

"For once I have to actually agree with Hiccup. Being afraid of this was a really, really stupid idea." He started giving the dragon a scratch on her head before sliding off to one side and landing successfully back on the stone floor. I made my way over to him to take the last saddle measurements I'd need when I noticed all of the teens and their dragons start forming a circle in the center of the arena. Small conversation broke out while I took the last bit of notes I'd need for the saddles, stopping only as I replaced my journal and entered the circle.

"So, tonight's been an amazing achievement. All I can suggest now is figuring out what you're going to call your new companions. Other than that, you should all use the rest of the time we have to keep getting to know each other. If you have any questions, just ask me, alright?" A unified chant of agreement came from dragon and Viking alike, and for once in my life I felt a sense of real accomplishment. This was what I wanted to do with my life. What I was meant to do with it. And considering the situation we were in, it looked like the Gods had given me proof of it.

* * *

I'd spent the next two and a half hours walking around and answering simple questions while translating for my friends. I was beginning to think I'd be teaching Dragonese as well as dragon bonding if we managed to end this war, and more and more I was finding the thought inviting. As it turned out, I quite enjoyed teaching, and when it came to dragons, I was very good at it. I'd even tried helping Astrid learn a little bit of Dragonese, but despite her best efforts the only thing she recognized was the sound Stormfly called her by. Still, it was the best attempt I'd seen from the group to understand the language, and I made sure to tell her that so she didn't feel too discouraged. Luckily, she seemed to understand that I was a special case and not the rule, since she dropped the issue and went back to spending time with Stormfly.

When I wasn't walking around and giving assistance to the others, I was tucked away on a stool near the empty weapons rack, busying myself with drawing out more detailed saddle plans. I was just finishing up the design for a horn-anchoring mechanism for Snotlout's Nightmare when my journal was bumped lightly from below. I looked down to see the Terror, whom I'd been calling Gami, staring at me intently with an acorn in her mouth. Smiling, I reached down and grabbed the little nut from her jaw and whipped it across the arena, causing her to chase after it once more that evening. I put my journal away, having finished with all of my design choices, and continued playing a game of fetch with the little Terror while I gave the others a bit more time to bond. Still, the night was already halfway over, meaning the longer we stayed out, the more likely it was that someone would see us all heading back to town from the kill ring. Even with the excuse of paying the twins a visit, I doubted my father would shrug it off as nothing. With that in mind, I stood from my seat and stretched out a little, giving a large yawn before I called in the others.

"Alright, everyone? Over here," I shouted as I walked to the center of the arena. Gami was now perched on my shoulder and purring away as we all gathered for a final meeting before the end of the night. Standing across from the others, I couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness at the sight: Vikings and dragons alike, side by side, completely at ease and unafraid of one another. They all looked as floored by what was happening as I was, and in truth, the feeling of mutual astonishment was one I'd not soon forget. Still, I had to end our first taming session, so the thoughts would have to wait. "Well, I don't think I need to say much about our first session. It was more than expected, to say the least. We still have a long way to go, since these kinds of things take time, but tonight was a great start. Tomorrow night we'll continue where we left off, but we really won't have much of a chance to make any real headway until I finish making the five of you saddles. It shouldn't take very long, but it does mean I'm probably not going to be getting much of any sleep for the next few days." I paused for a moment to pull Gami from my shoulder. "It's time the dragons went back into their cages. Regardless of how we feel about it, it won't do us any good to get caught for something so small. So take a few minutes and say goodnight so we can get going." I cradled the little Terror in my arms, trying to sway the young thing to sleep before I sent her back to her cage. "Oh, and if anyone from the village notices us, tell them we were discussing dragon slaying strategies with the twins. Speaking of whom, Ruff, Tuff? Don't even think about sneaking the Zippleback out after we leave. That's a disaster waiting to happen." A few audible groans came from their direction, but they still mumbled an agreement my way as they led their dragon back to its enclosure. Astrid seemed the most upset about the end of the session, even going as far to give Stormfly a prolonged hug before wishing her a good night and locking her cage door.

After making sure we'd left no traces of our night with the dragons, the twins led the rest of us out of the arena and closed the gates. They both took a seat on a bench that looked as though they'd stolen it from the Meade Hall, but before I could mention it, Tuff started waving us off.

"Alright, the rest of you get out of here and go home. We all need some sleep." Ruff grinned a little, nodding in agreement.

"Yep. Even us. Tuffnut gets the first hour..."

"...And then Ruffnut here gets the second one. We're switching off every hour so one of us is always on guard. Gotta make sure we're not caught sleeping on the job. If you can even call this a job." We all shared a small, tired laugh over the joke, though from a lack of energy it didn't last long. A few more farewells were had before Snotlout, Fishlegs, Astrid and I were all on our way back to the village. Without much else to say Snotlout and Fishlegs both broke off and hurried for their respective houses, both eager to get as much sleep as they could before the morning dawned. I was about to say goodnight to Astrid and head off to the forge when she stuck a finger in my face.

"Hiccup, I know I can't tell you not to push yourself too hard. I know you'll just ignore me and go work for the rest of the night in that forge no matter what I say. But you need to sleep too, you know. You're only human." Her concern made me feel a deep sense of happiness, but I couldn't afford to sleep. Not just yet.

"I know, but I'd like to finish those saddles as quickly as possible. Just in case."

"Just in case what?"

"Just in case this raid exposes me to the village. If I have to leave I can't finish them, and if I can't finish them then flying won't be nearly that easy for the rest of you." Her look of disapproval told me she was about to say something about my fears, but instead I finished my thought in the hopes that I'd be able to get going. "Look, this is just something I have to do for you guys. Don't worry about me; I'll get at least a little sleep tonight. I promise, okay?" With a sigh she just nodded at me before pulling me in for a hug just as long and caring as the one she gave her dragon. For once I was in enough control of my own body to hug her back, and the feeling was enough to destroy the sensations of tiredness I'd begun having.

"Okay. But take care of yourself. There isn't anyone else in his village I like teasing more than you, and I can't exactly do that if you're too tired to react to it." She snapped back from the hug after that, but as quickly as she let go her hand shot forward, grabbed my vest and pulled me into a kiss harder than we'd ever shared. I nearly passed out.

"...And that was... For?" I managed to sputter a few seconds later, after she'd finished.

"_Simple._ That was for all of... This. Stormfly, the truth, dragon taming, showing me the person you really are. It's for everything you've done. Good night, Hiccup." She gave me another kind smile before heading off to her house, breaking into a run after glancing back at me once more. I stood there for a while, and after finally regaining the function of my legs I stumbled off to the forge.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to peek through the service window of the forge as I cleaned up the mess I'd made over the past few hours. I was dirty, burned and cut in more than a few places and beyond exhausted, but all five saddles had been completely framed out. It took a bit of looking to figure out where I'd hide them, but eventually I settled on a corner of the forge's storage loft. Gobber never used it, considering how small it was; not to mention how hard going up a ladder could be with only one functioning arm and leg. I'd even forgotten it was there, despite my years apprenticing under Gobber, but until now I'd had no reason to use it. Still, with it in my head I made a mental note to clean the considerable mess I'd left my workshop in and use the loft more frequently. I didn't have enough time or energy to do it until later that day at the earliest, so I put it all out of my mind, cleaned myself up a bit with a rag and headed home.

I slowly pulled the back door to my house open, hoping I wouldn't run into my father at all. Luckily I didn't see him, so I quickly made for my room, hoping to get in bed as quickly as I possibly could and pass out for at least a few hours before I was inevitably woken up. After a quick but silent dash up the stairs I pulled open my door only to find my father sitting on the edge of my bed, apparently waiting for me. He did not look at all happy to see how late I'd been out.

"Hiccup. It's morning already. Where have you been?" Panicked, I tried my hardest to force my overtired brain to come up with an explanation. I couldn't tell him about anything that actually happened, and I doubt he'd believe I spent until dawn talking to the twins about strategies. So I bluffed.

"Oh, I was, uh... Sleeping out in a field. It's way out past the forest. I go there sometimes to relax, and I must've, uh, dozed off." He gave me a disbelieving glare, but instead of asking anything else he stood up and walked to the door.

"Well, whatever you were doing, you're going to pay for it. Go to bed. I'll be waking you up in a little while." With that, he left the room, nearly slamming my door as he stalked down the stairs. I was nervous as to what he could actually be thinking, but considering my brain was actively beginning to shut off I just backed over to my bed, where I collapsed.

* * *

**A/N:**_ Thanks again to Ferdoos for spelling fixes._


	15. Chiefly Suspicions

**A/N:** _Chapter fifteen! This took me a little longer than I expected to finish, but now that it's finally done I must say I'm happy with it. I've got more story points to iron out for the next few chapters, but expect something big to happen soon. And I'm not just talking about the raid._

* * *

Not three hours after passing out I was unceremoniously thrown from my bed, having jerked myself awake from the sound of my door slamming open.

"Get up, Hiccup. It's your own fault for being out all night." It was all my father had to say to me before turning around and leaving the house. My worries from a few hours ago resurfaced, and I began wondering once more what he could be thinking about what I'd been up to. Still, I tried not to think too much of it, considering I wasn't a mind reader.

After tidying up the mess I'd made of my bed I wandered out toward the Meade Hall in a sleep-deprived haze. Without much thought I grabbed a plate and some milk before taking my seat next to Astrid at our usual table. Everyone looked rather tired, a fact I was certain my father had already noticed. From the corner of my eye I could see him and Gobber having a muffled conversation, occasionally stealing glances at our table. I tried to ignore it and took a large bite of whatever it was I'd grabbed, paying absolutely no attention to the flavors in my mouth.

"Man, Hiccup, for once you actually smell like a Viking. What were you doing last night?" Snotlout seemed to enjoy seeing me with an actual Viking trait; one that I regrettably hadn't had much time to address. The lingering smell of the forge coupled with the blood and sweat I'd spent working on those saddles the night before was generating a mildly unpleasant scent. I was both embarrassed and amused at the table's reactions, all of which were somewhere between disgust and surprise considering my usual bathing habits. Looking to move on to a more palatable topic, I ignored him and quietly began filling them all in on their new riding equipment while I finished whatever it was I had been eating. News of their saddles nearing completion seemed to wake them all up a little more, and their newfound excitement didn't go unnoticed by my father. He and Gobber began mumbling to each other once more, and with a nervous gulp from my glass I reminded myself that he was probably too far away to have heard me. Just as the thought crossed my mind, though, the both of them stood from their table and began walking toward the massive double doors of the Meade Hall. As they passed our group I noticed my father staring at me, as though he was trying to crack open my mind with his own thoughts. He never looked at me like that unless he knew I was hiding something from him, and considering how he'd been acting around me he must've known it was something big. Despite having finished eating, I waited for him and Gobber to leave the hall and get a fair distance away before I even thought of heading to the cove.

"Hiccup," Astrid started, keeping her voice quiet enough that the others paid no attention to her, "what's with your dad? He hasn't looked that angry with you since the last raid."

"I'm not sure, to be honest. But for him to be acting like this tells me he knows something's up. I doubt he suspects anyone but me for keeping secrets, so I wouldn't worry too much about it, if I were you. But, I'm me, so..." I let my voice trail off while my mind wandered to the forge and all of the dragon related paraphernalia I had stored there. Suddenly, the idea of leaving out all of those mockups and drawings on my workbench seemed to be the most reckless thing I'd ever done. "I'm going to get some sleep at the cove in a bit, but first I think I should head to the forge and tidy up my workshop. No one ever goes back there, but if my father does he might see some drawings of Toothless. And saddle ideas. And those Dragonscale blueprints..." I didn't have to look at her to know Astrid was staring intently at my temple, probably getting ready to quietly scold me for doing something so stupid.

"Hiccup... You really need to be more careful. Especially with this kind of thing." I felt a light bump to my arm before she continued. "You should probably get over there right now and cover your tracks. I'd go with you, but I've got some chores to do, plus my mother wants to see how my fighting techniques are coming along." She almost seemed worried about that, considering she'd been slacking a bit on her training since this all started. Even so, I had no doubt she could do it, and knowing her, she'd convince herself of it before long. "You'll be fine, alright? I'll see you later." With a wave goodbye she left for the double doors, and after cleaning my place at the table I followed suit.

* * *

Gobber wasn't at the forge when I arrived, but the hearth was hot and there were an assortment of tools strewn about where he normally spent most of his time working. I paid little attention to it as I quickly slipped into the back room and immediately began grabbing any dragon related papers and making a single pile out of them. It only took me a few minutes to gather everything I could find and wrap it up with some twine I'd taken from a storage barrel. I grabbed Toothless's saddle and tailfin from behind my workbench, the bundle of papers and the bucket of Toothless's shed scales and moved them to the corner of the workroom where the loft door was located. I reached up and opened it, threw my contraband up through the hole and climbed in myself. After looking back into the storage room to make sure I hadn't left anything important behind, I closed the door and went to sorting my growing dragon stash. Once I was satisfied that my collection looked no different than any of the other decrepit, miscellaneous items forgotten in the loft, I made to open the trapdoor when I heard Gobber's voice come from below.

"Stoick, I don' think there's anythin' to worry abou' here. Hiccup's a Viking, after all. Maybe he jus' needed some time ta figure out how ta handle tha beasts?" I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized both Gobber and my father had walked into the smithy. I knew I'd be stuck up here for a long while if they didn't leave, since my only way out was through the main forge area. I kept my breathing as quiet as possible while I hoped the hammering of my heart only sounded loud in my own ears.

"He's hiding something, Gobber. I know he is. He's always disappearing into that damn forest, and I'm too busy to follow... Hold on a second." My father's abrupt halt in conversation made my heart sink; had I left something in the forge somehow? Before I could think about it, though, the sound of rustling cloth came to my ears. My father had just walked into my workshop. "Hm. Not here. Well, at least he isn't eavesdropping." A few more moments of silence followed, and I was certain they'd lead me to an early grave if he didn't leave sooner than later. "You know, I never realized how much of an artist Hiccup is. Have you ever looked at these drawings back here, Gobber? He really has put a lot of detail into those machines, even if they never worked." I felt a bit of relief in the next bout of silence. He was only looking at what was left of the plans I'd made for a few failed dragon killing devices, not anything I'd mistakenly left behind.

"I can' say I ever come back 'ere fer very long. I like ta give the boy a little privacy now an' then. Speakin' o' which, Stoick, I don' think he'd like it if he knew ya were lookin' at his stuff." I made a mental note to knit Gobber the best pair of undies I could for Snoggletog while I silently waited for them both to leave my workshop.

"Probably. But I still think he's hiding something. Why else would he be running off all the time?"

"I don' know, Stoick. But he's been doin' it fer years. Why do ya suddenly care now?"

"He's still my son, Gobber, and I know him better than he realizes. Something about his disappearances seems off this time. I mean, he was out all night, and you and I both know the forge was hot this morning. He already won that bet, so what could he possibly need to work on that would take him all night to do it?"

"I don' know, Stoick. But it's not like he's hurtin' anyone. Besides, he's been buildin' stuff in here for years withou' permission. Kinda late to tell 'im he can't anymore, isn' it?"

"Not if he's doing something behind our backs. Not if it's another one of those things he builds. Not if he's going to burn the place down agai-"

"Stoick! He's not a lil' kid anymore. He won' be burnin' nothin' down. Jus' have a little faith in the boy, wouldja?" Gobber's sentiment was followed by a long sigh I'd grown very used to hearing over the years.

"I suppose... Maybe you're right, Gobber. Hel, maybe he's making something for Herja's girl, Astrid. They have been spending a lot of time together lately."

"Now there's a though'. But wha'ever it is, it's not yer business. You know how you were with yer father, breathin' down yer neck all th' time when Val was around ya. Anyway, let's git out of Hiccup's lil' cubby already. We both have work ta do, righ'?"

"Right, Gobber. Let's... Hold on a minute." I froze yet again. This time my father's voice sounded out with suspicion, and it made my blood run cold just as the sound of quietly crumpling paper came from below. "What's this a drawing of? No dragon I've ever seen before. And is that a... Saddle?" Once more the building was bathed in silence as my mind went back to a few days ago. When I let Fishlegs take one of my paintings of Toothless, I intentionally left out anything that involved riding him. Now my father had a drawing of Toothless wearing a saddle, and I didn't like how easy it made connecting the dots as to what I needed private forge access for.

"Well, ya said it yerself, Stoick. Tha' boy's got an eye fer art, and an imagination to boot. Saddlin' up a dragon... Only Hiccup would think a tha'. Ya never know what's goin' on in tha' head a his."

"Maybe I do. Maybe he really did shoot down that Night Fury at Raven's Point." Immediately the thought of grabbing the unfinished tack I'd been making for Toothless and leaving Berk came to mind. If my father decided to get a search party together to look for my best friend, it'd only be a matter of time before they found the cove.

"Oh, not this again. Tha boy didn' shoot down no dragon an' he hasn' been studyin' no dragon. Hiccup woulda been ripped apart in a second if he tried gettin' close to a Night Fury, an' ya know it. You need to stop wit' the crazy ideas an' accept that yer son's fightin' dragons with his brain insteada his... Well, he hasn' got much brawn, but ya know what I mean. Be proud of him, Stoick."

"I am proud of him, but it still doesn't add up." The sound of paper crumpling met my ears once more, and I was afraid I knew exactly what it meant. "Maybe he is just using his brain. Either way, I'm keeping this. I doubt he'll notice it's missing anyway, considering the state of this place."

"Do what ya will, but I'm tellin' ya, yer wastin' yer time." Gobber stopped for a moment, grunting in tune with a loud click. "I got me hammer arm on. Now let's go fix tha' hole in the barn roof already." I heard no response from my father as they both walked off for the far end of Berk. I gave them a few more minutes to distance themselves from the smithy, slipped out of the trapdoor and snuck into the main forge area. With a quick glance out of the service window to make sure no one was watching, I bolted for the forest.

* * *

"_Nothing's going to happen."_ Toothless's response to my story was blunt and without a hint of worry. He barely even lifted his head from his napping position in the den to respond to my frantic explanation. I was partially grateful for it, though, considering I was also trying to quickly clean myself in the lake while I spoke. "_Even if they decided to search the forest, which they won't, they wouldn't find me before the raid. Once that hits, your father will probably forget all about the drawing."_ I hopped out of the water, quickly dried myself and began pulling my tunic back on just as a leathery wing lightly pushed me out of the way of the den entrance. Toothless walked out into the early afternoon air and started reaching his wings up to the sky the moment he had the room. While giving in to an entire body stretch very reminiscent of a cat, I noticed his tail to grab our riding gear. "_I know you're exhausted, but I'm starving. We're getting some fish before you get some sleep."_ I hadn't paid any attention to the sluggish response my body had been sending my brain since I left the forge, but with the adrenaline finally wearing off combined with my newfound cleanliness, it was becoming more and more apparent I needed sleep. Still, I knew I'd get none with a hungry dragon around, so I saddled Toothless up and prepared for takeoff just as a familiar voice called out my name. Looking back I saw Astrid climbing quickly down into the cove. She ran right up to Toothless, patted him on the nose and turned to me.

"I saw you running over here a little while ago. Is something wrong? You weren't exactly moving slowly." I didn't want to worry anyone, but now that she was here I knew Astrid wouldn't be leaving just because I asked. With a sigh I decided to give her the abridged story.

"It's nothing, really. Gobber and my dad found a drawing of Toothless in the forge after I cleaned up my workshop. I was hiding when I heard them enter and kinda wound up eavesdropping on them. But Toothless here told me not to worry about it, so I'm not going to. And neither should you." Astrid gave me a blank stare for a moment before sighing, herself.

"Alright, I won't. But like I told you, you really should be more careful, Hiccup. Next time it might not be a drawing he finds." She looked from me to the dragon, giving him a hard scratch under his jaw. "So, going for a joyride? Mind if I come with?" The look of anticipation on her face was one I could never say no to. I was about tell her to get on when something came to mind.

"Wait, didn't you have chores to do?" My mouth pulled into a mocking little smirk, the way it usually did when I joked around with her. "What, you're skipping your duties to hang out with me? Funny, I thought most people didn't like the Hiccups, but here you are asking for more." Despite being considerably higher off the ground than she was, it didn't stop her from punching my arm in response. I winced, but I did it with a smile.

"Real funny, smartass. I finished with my chores and then sliced a beetle in half from thirty feet with a well aimed axe throw. Apparently that was good enough for my mother, since she walked away without saying a word." I stared at her for a moment, amazed at her claim. I probably wouldn't have even noticed the bug, let alone manage to cut it in half. "Speechless. That's more like it. Now can I come with, or not?" She put a hand on her hip and cocked her head to one side, giving me a look of victory.

"Alright, alright, you can come with. But, since you always have to be the winner in this friendship, why don't you take the front seat?" I pulled off my riding vest and tossed it to her as I slid back in the saddle. "It'll be fun, and a great learning experience. I'll still keep my foot on the controls, at least until you're comfortable enough with it to fly on your own. That is, of course, as long as it's alright with you, Bud." I patted the dragon in question on the head.

"_As long as I get food I don't care which of the two of you fly me. Just make sure we don't hit anything._"

"Well, he's fine with it. What do you say, Astrid?" I reached out a hand to the girl, who I noticed was wearing a very surprised expression. Still, upon hearing her name she pulled the vest on and grabbed my outstretched hand. I helped her into her seat, hooked the vest's straps to the saddle for her and wrapped my arms around her. Despite trying to act normal, I couldn't help but burst out into a big stupid grin with the situation I now found myself in.

"Alright, my foot goes here, right?" She pointed to the stirrup she was sticking her foot into. I used my left leg to push hers up a little further into the stirrup before placing my own foot next to hers.

"That's right. Just try to keep your foot tight under the strap, otherwise it might come out during a hard turn. Learned that one the hard way. I was picking pine needles out of my vest for hours after that one." After making sure Astrid was ready I angled my foot backward, opening the tailfin and causing Toothless to spread his wings. "Ready when you are, bud." With a whirl of cold air we were in the sky, though flying less gracefully than normal considering the awkward position Astrid and I were in. It looked like it might take a little longer than normal to reach our usual fishing spot near Helheim's Gate, so I decided to take the time to ease Astrid into how the controls felt. With the wind making regular conversation difficult, I asked her to feel the way my ankle moved with the stirrup, and how every little movement could greatly affect our speed and direction. It took a bit of hand-holding on my part, but sooner than I'd expected she started following my movements with the kind of precision she handled an axe. We kept to easier flight patterns more suited to her inexperience, but it really didn't matter. I could tell she was enthralled with the whole thing, and that's all I really wanted out of it.

"This is... This really is amazing, Hiccup. It's way different than just holding on. Will I have this much control on Stormfly, though?"

"I don't see why not. Once the dragon gets used to the rider, they fly as one. At least, that's how it is for Toothless and I." Toothless grunted in agreement as I slowly began removing my foot from the stirrup to let Astrid take over. She might not have been as skilled as I was, but she definitely had no problem keeping us steady in the air. Once she realized she was fully in control, we shuddered a bit and dropped closer to the ocean. Still, she evened us out quickly enough, and after a bit of experimenting with the control mechanism, she pulled us straight up into the clouds. "You're doing it! Just make sure not to stall for too long before we start descending or you might fall off!" Right as I said it, though, she unhooked from the saddle, just as I had, and within seconds the three of us went from flying to freefalling. Astrid seemed nearly terrified of what she'd done, even though she'd free-fallen with us before, but it wasn't more than a few seconds before she snapped her eyes to me and just went with the fall. Eventually we regrouped on Toothless's back, this time with the reigns back in my hands.

"Well, that was a ride. I take it that's exactly how your first freefall went, considering the warning?" I laughed at the reminder, but in hindsight that little mistake turned out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise. After my first fall from Toothless, I found I no longer had any fear of heights.

"Yeah, something like that. Sure did wake me up, though. Now let's go catch some food, since I'm sure Toothless is getting restless." The dragon looked back to me and nodded before dragging us into a plunge to the ocean, where he let out a large fireball on an unsuspecting walrus making its way to a nearby island. I nosed us down toward the water, which began kicking up as we flew overhead. As soon as Toothless grabbed the lifeless walrus we rocketed to the sky and immediately started heading back to the cove.

"A whole walrus? I thought dragons mainly ate fish. And sheep, and maybe cow if they get lucky." Astrid sounded a bit surprised at Toothless's choice of meal, but the truth was that dragons didn't discriminate when it came to food.

"He'll eat the whole thing over the course of a few days, bones and all. As it turns out, the only thing a dragon won't eat is another dragon. And a human, since apparently we don't taste very good." Toothless made a gagging sound in response, which pulled a little laugh from Astrid and I. We quieted down quickly, deciding to relax and enjoy the scenery rather than shout over the whipping winds. We reached the cove before long, and the moment Toothless was out of his flying gear he grabbed his kill, bounded to the far end of the cove and started ripping it to shreds. Astrid actually cringed a little at the bone-crunching sounds echoing from across the lake.

"How do you get used to that sound?"

"You don't, really. But at least he's being quiet about it this time. The last time he caught a walrus, I could hear him tearing it apart from outside the cove." A mighty crack came from the other side of the lake, right in tune with my body quaking and letting use a large yawn. "Still not enough to keep me from falling asleep, though." I walked over to the den, kicked off my boots and put my riding vest away. "I'm going to work in the smithy when I wake up later today. After my little near-miss earlier this morning I think it'd be a good idea to finish this project as quickly as I can. It'll probably be around four, assuming Gobber's finished by then. Does that work for you?"

"That's fine. I didn't have anything planned today, anyway. How are you going to wake yourself up, though?" Part of my brain wished I could ask her to do that for me, but I didn't think it was appropriate. We might have gotten a lot more comfortable around one another in a short amount of time, but the last time she slept here was still fresh in my mind, and I had a feeling it was still in hers. Instead, I told her how I normally woke up in the cove.

"Toothless. Either he listens for the hourly horns from the village or dragons are exceptional at telling time, but either way I still get up on time. Usually."

"_I always wake you up on time. You just don't always listen._" Toothless had momentarily stopped crunching on his meal to pick on me a little from across the cove. By this point in our relationship I'd grown used to his banter, and even found our mock arguments enjoyable.

"I don't believe you're part of this conversation, now stop eavesdropping and get back to chewing on your manatee."

"_It's a walrus. Manatees aren't as tasty._"

"Whatever! Just get back to your delicious sea cow already!"

"_I will. And you won't get any of it. Now say goodbye to your mate and get to sleep."_ With that last comment, Toothless's crunching continued. Smiling, I turned my attention back to a very amused looking Astrid.

"I could only understand half of that back-and-forth, but it was still entertaining to watch. You're like two lifelong friends. Anyway, I should get going, and you should get going to sleep. Have a good nap." She pulled me in for a quick hug before turning and saying goodbye to Toothless. I stood there and watched her climb back to the main exit, and once she was out of sight, I turned and crawled into the den.

* * *

By seven in the evening I'd already spent several hours in the forge, silently working away at finishing Toothless's saddle. I'd become so efficient with scale knitting that the saddle itself was looking to take no more than few more hours to complete, so I put it away at sunset and got back to work on the problem of control. Toothless's old saddle controls were rigged together with highly flammable rope, the likes of which couldn't be used for the new one. It would be a point of weakness, and a very large one, since its destruction would cause us to fall from the sky. Considering I had no plans that involved plummeting to my death at any point in the future, it wasn't a point I could skimp on, and finding a proper solution was beginning to pump up my frustrations. For what felt like the hundredth time that evening I looked to a blank page of my open journal on the workbench, next to several crumpled up sheets and a few broken pencils.

"I can't re-use rope, leather wouldn't handle the pressure well, chains won't work and there isn't anything else on this tiny little island that wouldn't break apart in minutes!" I ran my hands through my hair while I kept trying to come up with solutions. "I could try knitting rope out of some scales, but I don't know how well they'd take to the tension. Not to mention how long it would take to make." At this point I wasn't even talking to Astrid so much as I was vocalizing my own thoughts in the vain hope that a solution might pop out at me from my surroundings.

"You've already said that a few times, you know." Astrid's voice pulled my attention back around to her, and for a moment I was almost angry that she'd tell me such a thing. With a frustrated sigh I scolded myself internally for the thought, since she'd volunteered her own time for my sake. I reminded myself to be grateful of that while she hopped off the far end of the workbench and walked over to me. "Maybe instead of repeating the same things over and over," she started, as she poked a finger against my forehead, "you could try making something new to fix the problem." I stared at her for a moment with an eyebrow raised in question. Maybe it was my frazzled brain not functioning well after working it so hard, but I hadn't the slightest idea of what she meant, and it showed. "I mean, why focus on things other Vikings have already made? You're smarter than they were, so use that brain of yours to think of something else to use."

"Like what?"

"Like a metal rope or something! I don't know, I'm not the genius." Her comment made me break into a smile, and for more than just her 'genius' remark.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that. After all, I think you just solved our problem." Astrid gave me a scrutinizing look as she cocked her head to one side.

"Oh really? And how did I do that?"

"Metal rope. I hadn't even considered trying to make it, but it's as brilliant as it is obvious. Making a rope out of metal instead of hemp should fix the flammability problem nicely." I shuffled over to my storage room, grabbed a few steel rods and brought them over to the workbench. "Gobber usually uses these rods to make chains for the docks. I've even helped him do it before, and yet I never even considered using them for another purpose." I stood there for a moment, eying the gathering of rods I'd placed on the bench next to Astrid. After a bit of thinking I went back to my journal, grabbed a fresh pencil and started jotting down notes. "Problem is, I don't have the time or the expertise to do this right now." I finished up with my measurements and thoughts, tore out the page and placed it on the workbench. "I'll just leave this here. Knowing Gobber, when he sees these rods and the note tomorrow morning, he'll start working on a solution."

"Workin' on a solution fer wha'?" The sound of Gobber's voice just beyond the cloth over the doorway caused both Astrid and I to jump. Immediately I stashed my journal in my vest and threw the crumpled journal pages into the hearth before responding as calmly as I could.

"Oh, uh, Gobber! Hi! Uh, just an idea I had... Just now. What are, uh, what are you doing here? I thought you said I'd have some privacy."

"Oh, hush up with tha'. I'm only here fer me mug, an' then ya can git back to what you were doin'. But I am curious o' what you're sayin' I'll be doin' tomorra." Wide-eyed, I turned on my heel and grabbed the bucket of scales still sitting by the hearth and made for the back room while I gestured for Astrid to let him in. From my workshop I could hear the thunk of his wooden peg leg over Astrid's voice.

"Hiccup's in the back, but he told me to let you in. We were just talking about an idea we had when you interrupted us." After making sure the loft's trapdoor was shut tight, I walked back into the forge room where I saw Gobber hunched over my notes.

"Ooh, this here's a great idea! Reminds me o' a few years ago. I had the same though' in me head, but after a nigh' a drinkin' with Stoick I kinda fergot about it." Astrid and I both palmed our heads in unison at the comment, much to the delight of the one armed man between us. "Oh, don' be like tha' you two, not when I'm gonna help ya. I get the feelin' ya need this fer what yer workin' on in private, an even though Stoick migh' not be happy with me doin' it, I can' say no to a project like this. Gimmie a few days and you should have yer rope. An' a lot of it, too. This stuff'll be great at the docks." Stuffing the note into his back pocket, Gobber turned and grabbed his mug, locking it in place on his stump. "Alrigh', that's all I needed here. You two be careful, now. Don' need ya gettin' burned or hurt, unless it's a dragon doin' it." He turned for the door with a little laugh, flipped the cloth out of his way and disappeared in the direction of the Meade Hall. Finally alone again, I let out a breath of relief before heading back into my workshop. I was determined to finish the saddle that evening, and before the next taming session at midnight, if I could handle it.

* * *

The second night of taming was going just as well as the previous night had. I was sitting near the weapon rack again that evening, giving a sleeping Gami a neck scratch while I observed the others with their dragons. The twins were both on their Zippleback, each climbing the neck of their chosen dragon head and then sliding back down to the body. The dragon itself seemed very pleased with both their actions and the fact that they were doing something without a single ounce of bickering. While they were enjoying themselves, Snotlout was busy just trying to get his dragon to do something besides lie on her back.

"You see those two?" He pointed his arm back to the twins, still sliding down their dragon necks. "They look like they're having the most fun they've ever had, and all you're doing is lying on the floor. Let's do something like that already!" The Nightmare let off a deep rumbling that pulled at the corners of my mouth, resonating a message I felt obligated to tell Snotlout.

"She wants you go give her a belly rub." Right as the worlds left my mouth the Nightmare nodded her head and shifted a bit, exposing more of her undercarriage.

"You're joking. Do I really have to do this?"

"Yes, Snotlout. It's part of the bonding process, so get in there and do it. Hel, look at Fishlegs and Meatlug. They're having the time of their lives." Fishlegs had his oddly named dragon lying on her back while he scrubbed away with a broom head that had separated from its handle. Much like Toothless usually did during a scrub down, she was kicking her leg out in glee at the attention while Fishlegs spoke inane baby talk to her. There was an audible cringe to go along with Snotlout's facial expression, but despite his hesitation he eventually caved.

"Fine. I'll do this. But I'm not going to babble like an idiot." He finally began scratching the dragon's belly as a large blast of air blew my hair and woke Gami from her nap. Looking over to the far right cage, I saw Astrid and Stormfly once again practicing rider signals, a drill they'd been focusing on since we entered the arena. As I sat there on my chair by the arena exit, I couldn't help but stare in admiration at the two of them hovering effortlessly in the small amount of space allotted below the chain ceiling. They kept it up for a bit longer, letting Stormfly stretch out her wings before descending back to the arena floor. I stood from my stool, placed Gami on my shoulder and walked over to the both of them.

"That was quite the impressive show. I get the feeling I'm going to have some competition to watch out for once this is all over." Astrid looked like she was about to meet my statement with a confident agreement when all five of the dragons in the ring jumped to their feet in unison. Stormfly sank down to the ground and actually shook Astrid off of her before quickly turning back to her cage.

"_Tell Astrid I'm sorry, but you all need to leave, now. Someone's coming._" I needed no convincing of Stormfly's blunt statement.

"Everyone, get your dragons back in their cages. We need to leave, now!" I ran Gami to her cage, gave her a quick hug and placed her in the darkness behind her feeding door. I turned to see if anyone needed help locking the cage doors only to find all of the other teens already on their way to the exit. I caught up to them right as Fishlegs threw the inner gate open himself, and with a clear path we scattered for the village while the twins covered our tracks and tried to act as they usually did. I quickly ducked into a nearby patch of forest, deciding to use one of my many paths through the brush to conceal myself from whoever the dragons had heard. I nearly had a panic attack when the sound of rustling leaves came to my ears and expected to find my father staring me down, only to turn and see Astrid breathing nervously next to me.

"Hiccup, what did Stormfly say? Did she hear your father coming?" Apparently Astrid's thoughts had gone to the same person mine had, but despite my assumptions I had no proof it was him.

"She only told me they heard someone coming. She didn't know who it was." I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the tree I was sitting next to, hoping to calm my heart down a little. "But I don't see how it could be anyone else. I mean, he's definitely suspicious I'm doing something behind his back, and apparently he thinks the dragons have something to do with it." Opening my eyes, I stood and looked at her. "If that's the case, I don't think it'd be a good idea to get caught here. Let's get back to the village. We can take a path I know through the woods." I pointed in the direction of a concealed trail in the distance she probably couldn't see, but she followed me without question. "Stormfly's sorry for bucking you from her back, by the way. But something tells me I don't have to tell you for you to know that." Walking next to me Astrid's face broke into a small smile.

"I had a feeling she did it for a good reason. Besides, It's not like I'm going to hold it against her if she had her reasons for it. I am kinda sore from that landing, though." She rubbed her side lightly, wincing a bit from the action. "That'll leave a bruise. Not like anyone's going to question it, considering we're Vikings." She sighed lightly and glanced up to the lightly overcast sky. "It'll be great when we can finally leave that damn cage and get her above the clouds again. I bet she's looking forward to it." She kept her eyes above us for most of the walk through the woods despite being barely capable of seeing the stars beyond the treetops and the cloud cover. Still, what light was shining through was apparently enough for her imagination.

"She probably is." I stopped us both for a moment to gauge where we were, eventually coming to the realization that the main path to the cove was nearby. "Let's go this way. If we take this path back to Berk, we should come out by the town square." I grabbed her hand and began walking us to town when the very loud sound of rustling leaves came from in front of us. We stopped dead in our tracks and turned to the source of the noise only to see my father staring at both of us. Instinctively I went to rip my hand from Astrid's, but she didn't let go.

"So, what have you two been doing out here this late at night?" My father's voice was far from what I expected. Rather than the angry, grating voice I'd heard this morning, he seemed very jovial. Astrid clenched my hand a little harder and answered for the both of us while my brain slowly began to realize why he was acting so differently.

"Oh, nothing, really. Just out for a midnight stroll, alone. Just the two of us, talking about what we might be facing for tomorrow's training session." Astrid spoke softly in a voice I'd rarely ever heard from her. My father laughed in response, walked forward and clamped a hand on my shoulder.

"Talking! Just walking and talking, is that right? Well, I've never been one to interrupt a strategy conversation, so I'll leave you two to get back to 'talking.' Don't be out all night now, Hiccup. You've got to be up and ready to go tomorrow morning!" He laughed a little more and slapped me on the back, nearly bringing me to the ground in the process. I forced a smile while he walked off, still laughing a bit and talking to himself under his breath. I leaned against a tree with my free hand to keep myself from falling over when Astrid let out a long breath and turned to me.

"You're probably going to be getting a lot more teasing out of him, but hopefully now he'll stop suspecting you're hiding something." My hand slid from hers, and in that moment I cringed internally. Not that I had any problems at all with him thinking my 'secret' was spending time with Astrid, but I really didn't want to deal with more of his heckling. Still, it was better than the alternative.

"Part of me thinks this could end up being worse, knowing him." I ran a hand through my hair while I looked out to the village, making sure he was indeed out of sight before I said anything else. "But since he thinks I'll be with you tonight, I think I'll get into the forge for a few hours. I should be able to finish one or two of the other dragon saddles without having to worry about him barging in on me. I won't even need to use the hearth, since the frames are finished. All I need to do now is some leatherwork." I was about to wish Astrid a good night when she grabbed my arm and started walking us to the smithy.

"If you're going, then so am I. It'd be a bit strange for me to get home hours before you do when your father thinks we're out in the woods together." Her hand slid down my arm, stopping only when it met my own. "He's partially right. After all, we will be alone, just the two of us, in the forge. Who knows what might happen?" I went from walking to stumbling almost immediately, which she laughed at once again. "I'm sorry, Hiccup, but that will never get old. Now let's get going already."

* * *

We didn't spend nearly as much time working as I had the night before, but with both of us working together the job had gone quite smoothly. Astrid might not have had any experience with saddle making, but under my guidance she became quite a boon at doing the little, tedious tasks that would slow me down while I worked on assembling the pre-cut pieces. When we finally decided to stop for the night, three finished saddles were piled on top of Toothless's finished dragonscale saddle in the loft. The only two left to do belonged to the twins and, considering the private time I still had left in the forge, they would probably be finished before the end of tomorrow.

"You ready to go, Astrid?" I double checked the trapdoor to the loft before exiting my workshop only to find her rinsing her hands off in a bucket of water next to the hearth.

"Absolutely. My hands are killing me and I'm looking forward to crawling into bed." I blew out the remaining candle on the workbench as we both walked out into the silent evening. "So, got any plans for tomorrow?"

"We're going to be up against the twins' Zippleback, but I can't say I have any ideas for it. At this point I don't really feel like I have anything to be nervous about. It'll work out, especially since the whole thing is rigged."

"This is true. Anyway, I'd rather you focus on finishing those last two saddles than worry about tomorrow's match. I want to get in the air as soon as possible, and I don't think I'm the only one." She looked up again that evening, sighing happily to herself as she looked at the cloudy sky. "Can you imagine what things will be like around here once we kill the queen? We'll be the first recognized Dragon riders of Berk. Probably the first dragon riders ever."

"I'm not so sure about that. When Toothless first mentioned the concept of a bond brother to me, he said it was an old dragon term they used when talking about their riders. I think humans and dragons probably lived like that for a long time before the queen came along."

"Wait, really? Do you think there might be others like us, then?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but it's probably fair to say they existed at some point. There might even still be areas where dragons and humans live together, unaffected by the Queen's mating calls. But I don't think it's something we should bother worrying about. If they do exist, we're probably not going to get any help from them."

"Right. Once we get into the air with our dragons, all we should be focusing on is attack strategies. That'll be the only thing to end all of this." Per her usual goodbye, Astrid grabbed a handful of my vest and pulled me in for a quick kiss. After a moment she let go and stepped back a bit from me with a smile on her face. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hiccup."

"Good night." It was all I had thought of to say in reply as my feet automatically carried me home. While most of my brain kept repeating the memories of her kiss in my head, part of it went back to the thought of another dragon rider. Surely, they would have to exist, or the term bond brother wouldn't be part of Toothless's vocabulary. I continued wondering if I would ever come across someone else who rode a dragon, or maybe even rode a Night Fury, until I noticed I was entering my house. I opened the door with caution but relaxed immediately upon hearing my father's snores echoing from his room. After climbing the stairs and getting into bed I let my mind drift back to another rider and another dragon coming from some far distant land to take down the queen instead of us. It was a comforting thought that I nearly went to sleep on, but a distant voice in the back of my mind wouldn't let me think of things like that. No one was coming to save us. If we would ever have the chance to end this war, it'd have to be done by people on Berk. Only by my friends. Only by Toothless and I leading the fight.

With that, I drifted into a different kind of comforting slumber.


End file.
